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russosafehaven · 1 year

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There are Widows and There are Men - Part 3

A/N: This part will be darker, it will involve a sexual assault scene that borders on rape. The reader will be four years old in those scenes. Please do not read this if you are uncomfortable. The scene will be in bold, after that it will not describe it any further.

Series Title: There are Widows and There are Men

Chapter Title: Part Three - Memories are clawing at me

Song: The Exit - Conan Gray

Pairings: Billy Russo x Black Widow!Reader (Also autistic!reader and implied to be on the aromantic spectrum)

Word Count: 4304

Warnings: Rape, SA, Self Harm, Red Room, Dreykov, Canon Typical Violence, Age Gap

You had fallen asleep not long after Jessica and Trish had left. After a few hours of mind numbing conversation and revelling in being free, they left you to rest. It helped that Jessica had some less then legal activities to attend to, but that was life now wasn’t it? Your boss hated you and your closest friends were vigilantes. You thought about Billy, what would he do when he came back to you? Would he hate you for good or perhaps he’d put you out of your misery? The betrayal in his eyes had stung. The way he looked at you with disgust mixed with rage and horror. You were used to being treated like a monster. It was all your life had been. Blood, murder, kidnapping, torture and all these other crimes you were made to commit.

“You up?”

You looked to the source of the voice. Smooth hair that wasn’t styled to perfection, dark eyes that look black in this light, dried up lips and a messy green sweater. It was Billy but he looked almost unrecognisable like this. What had he been through?

“I’m up, you okay Mr Russo?”

His head hung low, his feet kicking the ground. The tension was thick and layered. If you cut it with a knife you’d be able to see it. Billy’s footsteps were quiet as he found his way to you. The hospital bed creaked as he sat down. You adjusted yourself to the weight change. Making sure you were comfortable for the inevitable awkward conversation.

“I’m sor-“

He cut you off by placing a hand to your lips. They lingered for a moment as he looked at you gently. You could tell Billy wanted the first word by the look in his eyes. As his hand pulled away from your face it fell into his lap. Toying with the fabric of his stained jeans.

“Look… I didn’t mean to yell. I… shit. I’m not good with this touchy feely crap. Frankie’s always been better at it. I care about you… a lot. You were just so different, so… pure and fresh. When I saw you covered in blood I freaked. I care about you… a lot. I was scared… really fucking scared”

Tears started to prickle in the corner of his eyes as he spoke. That work facade that he put on, the strong and confident former marine turned business mogul was falling apart in front of you.

“I grew up in the system. My mother… she uh left me in front of a fire station out in Albany. My childhood was group homes and the occasional foster parent until they’d kick me to the curb again. It’s why I joined the Marines… to feel like I belonged somewhere. You know, as a kid I used to play stickball a lot. Used to hit the ball nearly all the time, thought I was gonna be the next Joe DiMaggio or some stupid shit. I was a kid and yknow, kids dreamed big. There was this Samaritan, used to come by the group home… he told me I was pretty. When a grown man tells you you’re pretty you know nothing good is coming. He cornered me, tried to touch me… so I hit him with the stickball bat. Caught him good a few times too but it pissed him off. He tore my rotator cuff. Shit… memory still hurts. I got a buddy who works with vets, he runs a support group. When I told him, he said that’s why I have this sexual deviant persona as he called it. Cause it’s all I think I’m good for. That and the guns and shit”

He was playing with his hands as he spoke. Looking down at them so intently, he was scared of how'd you react. Your thoughts churned, he didn’t deserve this. You’d heard stories about the foster system from your higher ups. About how lucky you were to have been taken in by the Red Room and didn’t grow up in the system.

“Is he dead?”

His head lifted at your question. Eyes widened like a deer in headlights. Billy put his hand on your leg, fingers drumming lightly.

“No, but what does it matter now? No proof anyways, he’s served 15 years so the countries clearly okay with it”

Rage seeped in your veins. Billy sounded so defeated as he spoke and it resonated with you. In the Red Room one of your trainers had taken advantage of you.

“What’s his name?”

His hand tightened on your thigh. Billy’s breathing got heavier and you could hear it clear as day.

“No, no shut up. I can’t have you hurt anyone. You shouldn’t have to. You aren’t in that shit-hole anymore”

He threw himself up, standing heavily on his feet. One of his hands ran through his hair, pushing the messy locks back. Making his way to the window to look out at the overcrowded streets. You studied him intently.

“Billy you were a kid”

Your voice was quiet. You knew better than to pity Billy, pity in these situations always felt horrible.

“SO WERE YOU”

His fist came up and slammed down onto the windowsill. It garnered attention of nurses whom you had waved off. Giving them a sorry look. You looked back at Billy, sadness in your eyes.

“Billy… what happened in the Red Room isn’t the same as what happened to you. You were a kid who was meant to be protected in those organisations. I’m nothing more then a pawn. You’ve managed to change the world, you were meant to be protected and they all failed you”

Billy walked back over to you, towering over you. You reached a hand up to him, the cannula prominent on your hand. His own arm reached up, fingers wrapping around your wrist.

“Why are you so insistent on dehumanising yourself?”

“The little spider can’t fight back anymore?”

His voice made you shiver. You were only four years old but you knew enough to know this wasn’t going anywhere good. Your training has only just begun recently and your trainer was a cruel man. His name was Mikhael and he wasn’t toned like anyone else. He was round and balding, much older then the widows. You had assumed he’d been here as long as Dreykov. What he lacked in physical fighting skills he made up for in computer science and weapons. He taught most widows how to use a bow, teaching them how to aim.

“It’s okay. I can help you”

His hand reached out for you, groping your thighs. Pulling you toward him, Mikhael started yelling when you thrashed. His actions were violent and erratic. You couldn’t even blink before your body made contact with the floor. The cold, concrete floor. The same floor you’d seen so much blood fall from other widows as you were made to watch them fight. Necks snapping and bones breaking. It was a vicious sight but what you were about to feel scared you so much more.

“It’s okay моя дочь. I won’t hurt you too much, just let me touch this precious little body of yours”

His hands roamed up your thighs, they just about covered your entire body. He was huge compared to you. When once you were just a small child you were now his plaything. The man who made you call him “Papa” and called you his daughter. The widows had seen a lot and so had you, but this was not the violence you were used to. In your mind you were telling yourself that you were four years old and you didn’t deserve this. Although some twisted part of you couldn’t help but think you did. You’re being raised to be a weapon, so isn’t this penance for the sins you’ll soon commit?

He kept pawing at you, mutty hands and greasy fingers feeling at the space between your thighs. You tried to ignore the feeling, convinced yourself that one day this would be nothing but a bad dream. His other hand found your chest and held onto it. You wanted to vomit. Release it into his face and watch it curl up in disgust.

The memory played in your mind like a broken record. You’ve been nothing but a weapon and a sex toy since birth, why would Billy see you as any different? The two of you looked at one another in longing. You weren’t capable of love, puppets didn’t feel anything.

“There was this man… in the red room. He treated me like his daughter. For the first four years of my life I was his daughter. I was born and bred for the red room, stolen from my real family. Since I was an infant that man was all I knew. When I begun my training…”

You trailed off, climbing out of the bed and walking over to Billy. Your arms snaked around his neck, pulling him towards you. As you lowered your arms back down you slowly lifted the skirt of the hospital gown up. Revealing cotton underwear and your thighs decorated in scars. One hand holding the fabric up, your free one reached for Billy’s hand. Bringing it to cup the mound between your thighs. He tried to pull away, shaking his head.

“I was a little thing when I learnt what being touched here felt like Billy. I’m far from being human, I never have been. I’m a weapon, a doll for the Red Room to toss around and use to kill. I am nothing without the blood that has stained my skin and my mind for decades. No matter how hard I scrub, not matter what I do I cannot erase that. You chose to fight, you chose that life for a noble reason. I’m bred for it, they raised me like they raise the lambs to slaughter. You’re a Lieutenant, a decorated war hero who has clawed his way to the top of only for a moment while I am the Blood Widow. I have killed innocents because it’s what I was made for. I’m designed for this, they made me in a lab so I would be the perfect weapon. The Red Room’s greatest creation since Natalia and Taskmaster”

Billy didn’t meet your eyes and you couldn’t blame him. In such short time everything has changed and he’s seen you as the one thing you swore never to show him. His hand was still firm against your core, cupping it gently like you would break if he dared force himself onto you. Many people before Billy had put themselves onto you, taken you by force and brutally destroyed you. You still remember the blood seeping from your core while your assailant left you for dead in an alleyway. When you escaped the Red Room and made your way to New York you had made yourself a promise. If you ever saw anyone being attacked in that way you would make sure the streets ran red with the blood of the perpetrator. It doesn’t matter if they had a family, the victims need to be protected. If it got messy then so be it, no one protected you so you would do whatever it took.

His hand started to trail down, his eyes following as he looked at the scars decorating your legs. Bullet holes, stab wounds and your own creations stretched all over your skin like an abstract art piece. There was a time you were ashamed of the scars and some days your still are. It was one night with Trish that made you appreciate them. You, her and Jessica were all drunk. Sitting in the blondes high end apartment as you discussed her latest heart break. It was a warmer summer day and after so much time spent in the snow, warm seemed like you were standing right next to the sun itself. You sat on Trish’s couch in a torn sports bra and ragged gym shorts. The two women weren’t strangers to your scars, it was only a few years ago you were sent to kill Jessica, but now you were comfortable with them. Living in peaceful bliss for a few short moments. Trish was asking about the scars again and as you explained each one she made a comment about how beautiful they were. She spoke of how your skin was a story, living history of what you’ve survived. Those words still live with you and you can’t help but believe them even in your darkest times.

With a small thud Billy dropped to his knees, one hand on your hip and the other on your thigh. He started playing with the scars, tracing them like they were lines in a colouring book. You watched him curiously as he drew patterns with his finger against the tissue, a small smile gracing your face. Billy Russo was a ex-special forces Marine, a Lieutenant with nearly 150 confirmed kills, a foster kid who rose to the top and is now a CEO of one of New York’s most prestigious security services, but here right now he was just Billy. Not your boss or your superior, but your friend. It made you realise he didn’t hate you, he wasn’t mad at your for lying or for not coming to him with your troubles. He was mad at the people who did this to you, who hurt you in unimaginable ways that seemed like mere fiction to him. He had seen wars and battles, watched the men he called his brothers die and so had you. Very different experiences yet your lives were so similar that it made you wonder if that’s why you connected so well.

Without warning his lips pressed against one of the scars. His lips were warm and the feeling was welcome. He moved to the next one and repeated the action, pressing his attention to every scar he could find. His hands wrapped around your thighs and you felt small in his grasp. Once he had finished his ministrations he looked up at you, eyes pleading.

“Come to me, I don’t care what it is. I need you to let me help you. I don’t get attached, I can’t because everyone leaves. My mum left me at a first station, the Castle’s died and now Frankie’s gone again too. Please let me help you, I need you”

With parted lips you looked down at the man before you. On his knees practically worshipping you, begging for you. You went to respond but the door opening pulled you both out of your thoughts. Without thinking Billy had sprung to his feet, head snapping towards the door. A nurse walked in and for a moment you panicked. That was until you were met with Claire’s gentle eyes and warm smile. You let a breath you didn’t know you were holding and walked over to Claire, letting her take you in her arms.

“Normally we’d keep you under observation for a few more days, but because of your… history I think it’s better if we let you go. Do you have somewhere safe to stay? I know Luke and Danny have set up a few safe houses if you need”

As you pulled away from Claire you pondered the option. Not before you turned back to Billy, tear stained cheeks and messy hair. You hadn’t noticed he’d been crying. He looked so different from the man you knew, the put together guy who was strong and took no shit was now a mess all because of you. Turning back to Claire you smiled gently.

“It’ll be okay, I’ve got a place. Days like this I’m glad I work for a security company. Plus I think it’s best if I stay with Billy”

You gestured to the man behind you and Claire followed, looking at him. As she focused her attention back on you heard shuffling, looking over your shoulder you saw Billy turning around, staring out the window to try and give you a sense of privacy.

“That’s your boss? Wow, I know you said he was good looking but god. You sure know how to pick them huh Huntress?”

Huntress, the name the media had given you. While your face was known to the public your name wasn’t and you preferred it stay that way. The name wasn’t clever in any shape or form, but then again what New York vigilante had a smart moniker? Daredevil, Spider-Man, Moonknight, the other Spider-Man, Power Man and so on so forth. The papers or reporters were not clever with the titles they gave to the unofficial heroes that protected New York, you just wished you weren’t lumped in with them. With one last smile Claire walked out, allowing you to change before you got discharged.

“Shit…”

You turned round to Billy who was now sitting on the bed, watching you intently. You had looked through the bag Jessica brought you and they had forgotten a change of clothes. The only other outfit you had was the one that was bloodstained and had a rather noticeable tear in it from the bullet.

“What is it?”

You turned to face him, his eyes still red and puffy. It made your heart flutter, you know it shouldn’t but there was something so exciting in being cared for. Knowing that Billy cried because of you, because he cared? It made you giddy like a school girl asked to the prom.

“Jessica and Trish forgot to pack me some spare clothes”

Billy looked at you, not saying anything as if he were still in though. As he launched up he looked down at you a small smile creeping cross his face. He didn’t say anything as he left the room. You had no idea what he was up to but you hoped it wouldn’t be anything too long as you didn’t have it in you. Turns out after not getting shot at for 3 years it takes a lot out of you once you finally do get a bullet tearing through your flesh again. Sighing, you took a seat on the bed and laid down. As you splayed yourself out like a starfish you gazed at the ceiling. Imagining the plain white sky was replaced with the darkness and a million stars. It was one thing you despised about the city, air pollution causing the stars to be hidden. You missed them, astronomy was the only area of science you were good at. In a way you thought the stars were yours, the night sky was this special thing you loved back in the Red Room. It was your secret and the stars would sing songs for you.

Around five minutes had passed before Billy had come back up. In his hands he held a shirt and what looked to be gym shorts. He held them out to you and you took them, turning them over in your hands.

“I had a spare change of clothes in my car from a training session I ran the other day. Better then nothing, they’ll be a little big but at least you won’t be in nothing”

You stood up from the bed, placing the clothes down before taking the time to untie the hospital gown. Billy hadn’t had time to process what was happening before you stood in front of him in nothing but cotton panties. His gaze immediately darted away. Hands covering his eyes as a string of apologies fell from his mouth. It clicked in your head that he probably wasn’t so used to casual nudity, most people in the city seeing it as taboo. In the Red Room it was common, experiments on naked girls, or your superiors watching you change. You had grown used to stripping in front of others, not caring about any insecurities you may have. As you pulled the shorts on and tied the lace as tight as you could, the shirt came next. It hung loose over your frame as Billy was both taller and bigger than you were. Stepping towards the marine, you pulled his hands away. Mumbling an apology for making him uncomfortable.

“No, none of that. I turned around because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Not because I was uncomfortable, I was used to this shit happening in the marines. I just didn’t know how’d you feel given your history and all. Fuck… I just don’t want you to think I’m going to take what I want from you and then leave you behind. I know what it’s like for that shit to happen without your consent, to be the victim and be blamed. I don’t want to ruin our… friendship because you’re scared of me”

He hesitated before saying friendship and some part of you had wished he’d said relationship. You didn’t know why. While you couldn’t deny that you were certainly attracted to Billy visually, you didn’t know if you could ever see yourself with him romantically. You looked him up and down, staring gently at his big dark eyes. He looked like a wet cat and as you walked over to him, you wrapped your arms around his waist. Pulling him into you tightly. As he returned the favour you listened to his heart beat. Gentle and slow, yet it seemed to speed up a bit as he held onto you.

“Let’s go get you discharged and go back to my place. Get you out of here and make a plan or some shit. Sound good?”

You nodded and he held out his hand which you hesitantly took. When you did it felt normal, almost domestic. You smiled inwardly and walked alongside him. As you reached the desk, he filled out your discharge paper work for you. For the first time in a while you felt yourself fully trusting a man. Something you hadn’t ever been able to do. Even in a workplace full of men who were ex-military and always joking around with you, you couldn’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop and succumb to their violence. With Billy that had never been the case, he was respectful and he engaged in conversation with you that wasn’t just small talk or filler. It was nice and as he walked you to his car now you couldn’t help but wonder what he’d be like in a relationship.

As you approached his Wraith you couldn’t help but be stunned. You knew he was wealthy, ANVIL took on all sorts of big shot clients but this was something else. Billy opened the door for you and helped you get settled, buckling you in as if you were a child. While the gesture would feel demeaning form anyone else, with Billy it felt nice. You both knew that you were made of glass yet Billy treated you with utmost care. Even before discovering your childhood. He’d treat you like you were a pristine painting, to be looked at but not to touch. Like you were worth more money than anyone could ever imagine.

As he started to drive you looked over at him, his eyes were less red and the corner of his lips formed the beginning of a smile. It felt far to simple and as your thoughts started to consume you a hand was placed in your thigh. Billy looked at you, smiling as he continued to drive through the streets of New York. His thumb rubbing the skin of your leg and you couldn’t help but melt into his touch.

“Is this a good time to mention that English isn’t actually my first language?”

The worlds fell out of you before you could even realise what was happening. Billy snuck a look at you, eyebrows raised in questioning. A sigh escaped your mouth as you explained.

“I know we’ve covered the whole I’m actually a spy for the Red Room academy who poised me as a Bolshoi dancer. They trained me to be an assassin and I’ve killed like 5000 people or whatever but it feels important to note that English isn’t my first language. I guess I didn’t mention it cause it feels embarrassing, but working for ANVIL in such a high place and fumbling over my words would just be too much for me. Russian is my first language, then it goes French, Latin, Mandarin, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Afrikaans, Dutch, Irish, Japanese, Somali, Arabic, Punjabi, Portuguese and then English”

You finished speaking, a sliver of your Russian accent slipping through. In an attempt to calm yourself you took his hand in your own, playing with his fingers like a child. You had never really gotten the chance to be a kid so some of your behaviours were regressive in that sense. A small chuckle escaped Billy’s lips and you looked at him, eyes wide like a deer.

“Come to think of it I have noticed small errors when looking over some files you’ve given me. I always just assumed you were tired or it was because you’re autistic and you didn’t process it correctly. Look, native speaker or not, your english is damn good. For someone who speaks 16 languages it’s impressive that you can pass as a native”

He smiled at you, teeth on full display as it spread across his face. You always loved when he smiled like this. He wasn’t trying to be the suave CEO or the charming guy you’d hook up with in a bar, he was just himself. Free of the confines of his work persona and acting like he was free. You went to speak again but Billy had interrupted you.

“And for the record, you belong at ANVIL more then any other of my guys. You were one of the first people I hired after it really kicked off and the company wouldn’t survive without you. Now after learning all that shit I think you belong there more then I do. The things you survived to get where you are? Not everyone could come through that”

If only he realised how true his words were.

There are Widows and There are Men taglist:

@thefictionalgemini

@woowwwee

@celestialams

@noortsshift

Billy Russo Taglist:

@snowkestrel

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dinasaurconspiranoic · 1 year

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Trish: If you and Luke have chemistry you only need one other thing.

Jessica: And what's that?

Trish: Timing. But timing's a bitch.

#luke cage x jessica jones #aka jessica jones #jessicage #jessica jones #jessluke #jessica x luke #marvel #marvel couples #the defenders #marvel shows #mcu incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes #marvel incorrect quotes #trish walker #luke cage #lukejess #defenders quotes #defenders

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marvelfilth · 1 month

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AKA Shut up and listen

Pairing: Jessica Jones x f!reader

Warnings: alcohol consumption, self-deprication

Summary: you love Jess, Jess doesn't get why

Masterlist

"So... This is it?" you mumble, your gaze pinned to the roach on the wall to your left.

You really shouldn't be disappointed - you heard enough of Jess' grumbling whenever she came back from a hideout with too many compromising pictures on her camera and too much alcohol on her breath.

So, yeah, it's all your fault, since it was you who begged her to take you with her, just to get a taste of that PI life.

"Yes." She opens the window, letting some fresh air flow into the tiny motel room.

"Cool," you sigh and search the room for a safe place to sit. Unfortunately, the entire place looks like a biohazard, so you have no choice, but to settle on the edge of the single bed.

Your hesitation doesn't escape Jess' watchful eye. "You realize you'll have to sleep here, right?" Jessica drawls. She's sitting on the windowsill, her flask clutched between her fingertips. She raises her eyebrows at your silence and you shake your head, feeling hot all of a sudden. Lately, it's been happening too often - her looking at you far longer than a friend should, and you flushing under her heavy gaze.

"You said it won't take long," you mumble, turning away to hide your burning cheeks with your hair.

"It won't. Twenty hours top." She shrugs, taking off her leather jacket to reveal her toned arms, your eyes zeroing in on the muscles hidden under her soft skin.

"Great," you sigh.

The roach on the wall moves closer to you and you have to fight the urge to stamp it down with your shoe.

It probably has a family somewhere.

"You don't have to stay. I can call Trish, she'll pick you up. She can take you somewhere fancy."

Your eyes roll at the obvious attempt at getting rid of you. You know she likes you enough to tolerate you for at least a day, but you also know she prefers to work alone. Even Trish never gets to tag along.

"You know I like you more."

“Really?” She husks sarcastically around the neck of her flask.

“Yes.”

Another roach crawls from under the bed, making you squeak and jump off it. Jessica rolls her eyes, gesturing around you. “This. This is me.”

You blink. Then blink again. “A roach?”

She hums, turning to look outside and taking another swing from her flask. “Yep. A roach, dirty motel, cheap booze - all me. Doesn't seem like your thing.”

You huff, crossing your arms, your shoulders suddenly tense. “Luckily for me, you're more than cheap booze, and shitty motels, and roaches. So yeah, you're my thing.”

She tilts her head, her dark eyes brimming with exhaustion from countless sleepless nights spent chasing leads, but there's a flicker of something, something important. It's gone faster than you can place it, and she turns back to the window, lifting her camera, and covering her face from your scrutiny.

“Get us some food, yeah?” She whispers, pretending to focus on the streets below.

You let out a frustrated huff, but nod nonetheless, leaving in search of something edible.

You come back a little over half an hour later, a paper bag full of takeout clutched tightly against your chest, your heart still racing after a ride with a sketchy man on a sketchy elevator.

Jessica startles you with a question.

“You okay?”

Her body is halfway out of the window, facing the building across the street, but her eyes are pinned to you. The flask lies empty on the windowsill.

“Peachy,” you mumble, pushing a container into her hand. “Eat it all or no booze for two days.”

She frowns, eyeing you warily. “Don't bullshit me.”

You smile, humming, and nudge Jess to make space for you on the windowsill. You dig into the food, almost moaning at the rich flavor, and note with pride that Jessica seems to enjoy it too.

“Not bad,” she says around a forkful. “Not as good as your famous lasagna-”

You shove her before she can finish her thought.

“Jess!”

Her brow arches in question, and she keeps a serious expression for all three seconds before the corners of her mouth jump up in a fleeting smile. “What? I liked it.”

You groan, pushing the food around. She'll never let you forget it. And to think that you were just being a caring friend, spending all day perfecting a recipe you found online, chasing down Jess, and making her eat some of it.

“Just a little less salt next time,” she says, leaning back against the wall, her eyes on you.

You shake your head, cheeks burning in embarrassment.

The evening is settling in, the warm glow of the sun seeping away, giving way to the chilly breeze. You shudder, goosebumps littering your bare arms, and consider moving to the bed, or maybe wrapping yourself in a blanket. You eye it warily - it's thin, its color washed away and even from here you can see some of the stains.

You jump up when a weight settles over your shoulders, a familiar scent of leather enveloping you. When you turn to look at Jess, instead of looking away like you thought she would, she looks at you, head-on.

“Thanks,” you whisper, pushing your arms through the sleeves. “You're not cold?”

She shakes her head no, pushing her food around. “Looks good on you.”

“Yeah?” You look down at your lap, fingers fidgeting. The air grows heavy.

She reaches inside her bag and takes out another flask.

“I'm no good for you, you know?” she says after gulping at least a quarter of it.

You look up, startled.

“I'm an asshole with a drinking problem. You deserve better.”

You close your eyes, taking a deep breath. “You’re not an asshole.”

She snorts, and finishes the flask in quick gulps before carelessly throwing it to the floor.

“Jess.”

She hums.

“You're not an asshole.”

“I heard you the first time.”

You huff, and pull the take out box out of her hands before gently setting both of your food on the nearby table. “Jessica,” you start, squaring your shoulders. “I need you to listen to me very carefully.” She rolls her eyes, but turns to face you nonetheless. You can tell she's ready to bolt or at least deflect, but you won't let her. Not this time, the conversation is long overdue.

You take her hand in yours, fiddling with her slender fingers. “You’re one of the best people I've ever met, Jess-” the scoff that follows is expected “-yes, you are!” You insist, giving her hand a sharp tug. “You're brave, and selfless, and kind-”

“I’m an unreliable, unstable alcoholic with a fucked up head,” she growls, jumping off her seat. “I'm not kind or brave. I don't do nice things. I'm not nice, period. I have a hole in my wall and more empty bottles than cutlery. I haven't washed my jeans in two months. I- fuck, sometimes I can't even look at you without thinking about you leaving, eventually.” She starts pacing, fingers lost in her dark tresses.

“Jess.”

“I can't take care of myself, Trish does that half the time. I have one bedsheet. I don't have a vacuum cleaner. My door is permanently broken.”

“Jessica.”

“I'm a fucked up-”

“Shut up.”

She stops mid rant, looking at you with tired eyes, and let's out a long-suffering sigh. “You deserve better.”

You shake your head and take a step towards her. “I love you.”

She recoils, suddenly looking like a frightened child. Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “What?” She croaks.

“I love you, Jess. I love you when you're drunk and miserable, and I love you when sober up and smile like you don't have a care in the world. I love you when you're out of reach for days on a case, and I love you when you make sure to spend time with me, even if it means sacrificing sleep-”

“Stop.”

“-I love you when you don't have time to take my calls, and I love you when you answer me from strangers’ balconies. I love you when you're being mean, and I love you when you choose to be the kindest person I know, even after all of the shit you've been through.”

“Y/n…”

“I love you and your broken door. And I love your cutlery.”

“Don't-”

“And I have a vacuum cleaner.”

She sighs, but her eyes soften just a slightest bit. "A vacuum cleaner, huh?"

You swallow and take a deep breath. “I- I don't want anyone else, Jess. I want you. I love you.”

She looks at you for a long moment, her jaw tenses, brows furrow in thought. “Okay,” she nods slowly, begrudgingly.

“Yeah?” You whisper, inching closer.

“Yeah,” she breathes against your lips, before pulling you in a tender, almost chaste kiss. She's pulling away a second later and it's over before you even fully register the feeling of her soft, full lips on yours. “I- You- Fuck, why is this shit so goddamn hard?” She grumbles, closing her eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. “You deserve better, so-”

“Jessica,” you growl, pushing her by the shoulders. She doesn't budge, pressing you closer to her chest, her grip on your waist tightening.

“You deserve better, so I'll get better. I'll do better. For you,” she finishes slowly, begrudgingly, and for a moment you're speechless. “Less booze should be a good start, right? No girl likes to smell alcohol all the time,” she sounds like she's complaining, like this is the worst situation she could ever find herself in, but her eyes shine in a way you've never seen before. It's hope, you realise after a moment.

“Not for me, for you,” you state firmly, cupping her jaw. “You'll get better for you.”

She blinks. “That’s not a good enough motivation,” she grumbles.

You press a kiss to the corner of her mouth, fighting back a smile. She's so Jess. “We'll work on that.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay. I... I love you too, I guess.”

"Mhm," you hum, and she opens her mouth again, so you pull her in a proper kiss before she can say anything else.

#jessica jones x reader #jessica jones x you #jessica jones x female reader #jessica jones #jessica Jones x y/n #jessica jones x fem!reader #AKA Shut up and listen

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bouncybongfairy · 1 month

Note

was wondering if you could write a morty smith x reader where you both get high after studying together?

Study Date

Morty Smith x Fem Reader

Summary: Morty musters up the courage and asks you over for a study date. Who knew studying human biology could have such interactive hands on lessons.

Word Count: 1.5k

Ref Account: @kaionyx

TW: Smut, Fingering, Squirting, Nipple Play.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

It was lunch and you were sitting at one of the tables in the quad. Your friends were fixing up their hair and make-up as they picked at their food. Talking shit about girls they either didn’t know and/or don’t like. The conversation was starting to shift, them talking about how Morty came up to you before class. He’d invited you to come over after school and study. A lot of your friends think he’s weird or odd. That was one of the things you liked most about him. Most guys tried acting all big and confident when trying to pursue you. Puffing their shoulders out and bragging about all the illegal activities they partake in. Morty was quite nervous when he spoke with you, like he was savoring every second he could be near you. Him being so flustered and shy made you feel flattered.

“Are you really going to his house after school?” Trisha asked.

“Yeah, why not?” you asked, stabbing at your salad.

“I don’t know he’s just kinda… like strange?” she asked, which made the entire table laugh.

“Not as strange as Brad going back and forth between you and Jessica like he’s test driving a car he might wanna buy. Even once he picks the one he wants, we all know he’ll run it into the ground,” you said, packing your lunch and bag.

They were idiots and you didn’t appreciate the little jab towards Morty. You could tell that it took a lot of him to muster up the courage to talk to you. As someone who also struggled with shyness and social anxiety, it hurt you to see people poke fun at that. You ended up going home early, too worked up to go back to class. Even though you had nerves, that didn’t take away from how excited you were. There were two classes where you sat behind him, at times you wouldn’t pay attention to what was going on. Watching all his nervous little mannerisms, the way he picked at his nails. Or scratched the back of his neck when we were given an assignment he didn’t understand.

Sometimes he’d come to school with a gash above his eyebrow, or a purple tinted bruise under his eye. You liked how he kinda looked sad and tired all the time. It was weird, you weren’t really sure why. It didn’t take long for you to get home. Letting yourself in because your mom and dad were both at work. This worked out great for you, it meant you could take hits of your pen out in the open. Also allowing you to use all the makeup on your moms vanity without her fussing. Time was flying by a lot faster now that you weren’t on campus. This may sound vain but you really want to impress him with your physical beauty.

Ensuring to pay attention to the smallest details, making sure your eyelash glue wasn’t visible. That your concealer wasn’t caking under your eyes. After staring at yourself in the mirror for a while, you drove over. His house was really nice, furnished like a 90’s family movie. Pictures of family and inspirational quotes, very cozy. Morty’s room was nice. He could normally keep it very tidy but, you’d like to think he cleaned it because you were coming over. Different posters scattered about his room, a rug in the middle of the room; made to look like the solar system.

“Have you always been into science?” you asked.

“Uh, no my grandpa is the one who made me into it,” he said, pulling out the chair for you to sit at his desk.

“Oh yeah, Trish was telling me about that. What’s like the craziest thing you guys ever did in space?” you asked, emptying your bag.

“One time Rick was selling this-” he started but you interrupted.

“No, no I meant like you. Not Rick, I wanna know what’s the craziest thing you’ve done,” you clarified.

“I- um well. This one time Rick had to do some business on the citadel, I couldn’t come for w-what ever reason. There’s this, like club/bar thing called the Creepy Morty. It was the first time I snorted kalaxian c-crystals and some crazy shit w-went down,” he said, chuckling a little.

“Oh my god, that sounds like a lot of fun,” you said, opening up your biology book. Pulling out the notes you’d written during class.

“Your writing is so nice,” he said, watching you bend down to get your pink pencil box.

“Thank you, I feel like those were pretty sloppy,” you said, opening the plastic box and revealing a plethora of weed paraphernalia, “Will we get in trouble for smoking here?” you asked, licking the grape flavored wrap.

“B-be my guest,” he said, laughing nervously, “Can you even r-roll with nails?” he asked.

Instead of verbally responding, you just finished rolling. He pointed out how you made the mouthpiece slightly tighter than the rest of it. The fact that he noticed this small detail made you blush. Putting the blunt between your lips, gesturing from him to light it. His hand shook a little as he brought the flame to you. It was surprising to you, watching him take ghost inhales without coughing. The two of you began talking back and forth, just about life and whatever came to mind. Eventually the conversation began to shift, you asking if he had a girlfriend.

“No, w-why would I invite you over if I did,” he laughed.

“Oh so you invited me over for romantic reasons?” you asked, tilting your head up and blowing the smoke towards the ceiling.

“What? No Absolutely- I just…” he began slightly panicking.

“No? Aww that’s too bad,” you said.

“Really?” he asked.

“I mean yeah, I think you’re really cool. I like you alot, I can’t deny that when you asked me to come over I was really excited,” you said, handing him the blunt.

“Holy shit, honestly you don’t understand how good that is to hear,” he said.

“Well now that we both can admit we never really intended on studying, maybe we can watch a movie on my laptop?” you asked.

He of course agreed, now laying on your stomachs. His twin size bed only made for your bodies to be pressed against each other. Watching a horror movie that he suggested. Already 15 minutes in, you were waiting for him to make a move. He was laying on his side, back facing the wall and his elbow was supporting his head . Rubbing your back but keeping a respectful distance from your ass. Eventually he started to wander down, making your back arch involuntarily. You could have sworn he chuckled, to be fair most of your focus was trying to act like it isn't affecting you. Going down past your skirt, his fingertips now against your skin. At first he was just feeling you up, squeezing and groping after a while.

You were happy to be wearing makeup because your face was getting hot. He started to make things more intense, now rubbing the fabric of your panties. You had to bite back a gasp as he traced your slit with his fingers. He curls his leg around yours, spreading your thighs apart. Pulling your panties down and slightly, giving his hand room to spread your wetness around. Pushing his middle and ring finger into you. At first he maintained a slow place, giving you time to stretch around him. Starting to get more desperate, you arch and push yourself down onto his fingers. You were no longer regulating how loud you were being, letting pants and moans out without any shame. Morty noticed this and changed his position. Flipping you from your stomach to your back, pulling your shirt above your chest. He became animalistic once he saw your chest.

Taking one of your nipples into his mouth. Sucking and flicking his tongue as he fucked his finger back into you. Becoming rougher, biting and nipping at your chest. You ran your fingers through his hair, not pulling through. Just caressing him, your mind becoming more and more foggy with pleasure. Your legs were trembling and you could feel your orgasm approaching. So could he, prompting him to pull his fingers out and play with your clit. It wasn’t long until you were coming, squirting on his hand. This took him off guard but made him cum in his boxers. Spreading your juices to your chest and slapping your breasts. Splashing the liquid around until you were squirming and reddened. The two of you laid there for a while until you broke the silence.

“Can I do you back?” you asked and he shook his head.

“No I came in my pants,” he said so casually that you couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, started mimicking the way you were moaning. Making both of you giggle yourselves to sleep.

#rick and morty fanfiction #morty x reader #morty c137 x reader #rick and morty #rick and morty fanfic #rick and morty smut #rick sanchez #morty c137 #rick and morty fanfic request #fanfic request #morty x you #evil morty imagine #evil morty x you #evil morty x reader

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bellaxgiornata · 10 months

Text

Life Worth Living [Chapter Five]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Original Female Character

[You can find the full summary and chapter list for this series here]

Warnings/tags: 18+ for this series; contains fluff, angst, violence, PTSD, smut (Contains our beloved Defenders and lots of plot twists)

Word Count: 9.7k

a/n: This is a very long chapter and will forever be one of my favorite early chapters in this series. I love flirty Matty in this one and you should know that if I can work Matt and flirting over pool into a fic, I'm going to. You also finally get a bit of a glimpse at what Olivia can do... Anyway, feedback is always appreciated!

It was Saturday night, two nights after I’d run into Jessica and Trish. Jessica had texted me over the past couple of days, keeping me up to date on Hope’s case and her struggle to find witnesses. She'd also told me about the apology Trish had broadcast on Trish Talk yesterday morning, the day after challenging Kilgrave on air and he'd called in.

I remember listening to the show, hearing his voice over the radio for the first time in years. I hadn't been able to fall asleep for more than an hour at a time the past few nights since. I'd barely eaten, too, having lost my appetite with his reappearance in my life. And because I'd been spiraling, I hadn't left my apartment in the past two days either, unconsciously avoiding Matt, Foggy, and Karen. Matt hadn't had any other night time check-ins; since I was barely sleeping I wasn't having nightmares.

Currently I was sprawled out on my couch, staring at some awful sitcom, not exactly watching it. My eyes were burning and slightly bloodshot from the lack of sleep over the entire week. There was a half eaten slice of toast I had long since abandoned on a plate in the middle of my coffee table, which was a mess with dishes that had piled up.

A rapid succession of hard knocks at my front door caused me to stiffen on the couch. My fingers gripped the cushions roughly as I held my breath.

Did he find me already?

“Olivia! Where the hell have you disappeared the last few days!” Foggy’s boisterous voice called from the other side of my front door.

The tension slowly eased out of my muscles as I carefully sat up on the couch. I glanced down at the sweatpants and oversized black tee-shirt I was wearing and frowned. I looked a mess, but I didn’t have time to dress to answer the door for Foggy. With a huff I made my way to the front door where Foggy had taken up banging again.

I swung the door open to be greeted by Foggy’s beaming face–which immediately fell when he actually took in the sight of me.

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” he breathed out, eyes wide.

Karen suddenly appeared next to Foggy, Matt being pulled along beside her. Her eyes grew wide as well when she began scanning me up and down, her mouth parting a little in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked quickly, voice full of concern.

“Jesus–you’ve got a bandage on your forehead and…shit, are those bruises on your neck?” Foggy gasped. “Did someone choke you?”

Matt’s jaw snapped shut instantly. From my place at the door I could see the muscles twitching as he ground his teeth. Karen eyed me with a sorrowful gaze, her focus lingering on my bruised neck for a few moments. I let out a sigh, rubbing a hand across my face.

“I’m fine, just had a terrible past few days,” I assured them.

“But were you attacked?” Foggy pressed.

“Yes, but it was a…misunderstanding,” I explained.

Foggy’s eyes narrowed at my words; Karen raised a brow at me questioningly. Matt still remained clenching his jaw, his hands gripping his cane so hard his knuckles were turning as white as the object itself.

“How does someone attacking you turn out to be a misunderstanding?” Foggy shot at me.

I waved a dismissive hand quickly, as if I could wave away their worry. “Look, don’t worry about it. I’m fine, I’m handling it.”

“That certainly makes me feel better,” Foggy said sarcastically. “Did you go to the police?”

I raised a hand, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m trying to. When I…can.”

“Why can’t you now?” he pried.

I took a deep breath, fighting back the frustration. I didn’t want to drag the three of them into this. They didn’t need to be on Kilgrave’s radar.

“Because the problem…requires evidence, which I imagine you can understand, being lawyers,” I told him. “And until I have that, I’m…dealing with it.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Matt said, his tone dark. “Whatever you’re doing, it doesn’t sound safe. You shouldn’t be dealing with it, especially not alone.”

“I’m not…I’m not alone,” I said slowly. “I have help. And I’m…” my voice trailed off, searching for the words. “I’m sort of the only one able to deal with this.”

“What does that even mean?” Foggy pushed. "You're being cryptic and it's scaring me."

I exhaled slowly, opting for a bit of the truth.

"Some P.I. was looking for someone, someone I…used to know. They thought I might’ve had information, but I didn’t," I explained. "Now I'm sort of helping them. That's all."

Karen looked skeptical but remained quiet at my explanation. Matt’s jaw muscles had stopped ticking, but his head was tilted to the side and I could tell he was intensely focused on me behind his dark glasses when I felt that telltale prickle along my skin. It was Foggy who continued on.

"But the bruises?"

"I was on a run, had my earbuds in. They grabbed me to talk, I freaked out and attacked them first," I explained with a shrug. "They were just trying to defend themselves too. Like I said–just a misunderstanding."

"Alright…" Foggy said slowly, not looking entirely convinced.

"So uh…" I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Why is it that you're banging on my door after nine?"

"We were going to go to Josie's," Karen told me. "We thought you might want to come out."

"Planning to stay out until the sunrise?" I questioned them cautiously.

"No," Karen said with a laugh. "I don't think Foggy could handle that again."

"Hey!" Foggy exclaimed, affronted. "I did just fine that night, thank you!"

I grinned at the pair before my eyes slid back and landed on Matt behind them. He was smiling but it almost looked forced. I hadn't spoken to him since the night he'd come over and then disappeared on me before I'd woken up.

"Would you like to join us?" Matt asked slowly, one of his brows raising.

I glanced down to what I was wearing, a frown covering my face before I looked up, taking note of their clothes. Matt and Foggy were wearing button down shirts, ties, and dress pants with nice winter coats covering them. Karen was in yet another nice dress with a black pea coat, her face made up and her hair neatly pulled back in a bun. Meanwhile, I was pretty sure there was a smear of peanut butter somewhere on my shirt, a hole forming at the left ankle of my sweatpants, and my hair was a tousled mess.

"I'm sort of a mess right now…" I answered, voice trailing off.

Karen smiled wide, catching my eye. "We can wait, if you want to change."

"Yeah, we'd love for you to come out with us," Foggy assured me. “Josie’s is just a dive bar, you don’t need to get dressed up. We just had some office work for a new case we worked on today so,” he said, waving a hand at their attire, “we haven’t really changed.”

Clearing my throat, I stepped aside from the doorway. "I'll just change quick, if you want to wait inside?"

Foggy quickly rushed past; I could feel him surveying the state of my apartment without even seeing him. Karen slipped in past me, guiding Matt inside. His hand briefly brushed against my arm as he stepped past me and I wondered if it was intentional or not. Closing the door behind them, I followed Karen and Matt down the entry hall into the living room.

I shifted awkwardly as Foggy and Karen eyed the coffee table littered with empty water glasses and coffee mugs; the piece of lone peanut butter toast forgotten on the table. I quickly grabbed the plate, biting my lip awkwardly.

“Sorry, wasn’t planning on company,” I muttered as I rushed to empty the toast in the trash before tossing the dish in the sink. As I made my way through the living room, I briefly mumbled out, “I’ll just be a minute,” before darting down the hall and towards the bedroom.

Sliding the door closed behind me, I made my way to the dresser, grabbing the brush atop it and quickly combing through my long, blonde hair. It was a tangled disaster and I frowned as I tried to tame it, giving up when the waves wouldn’t straighten out. I made my way to my closet, opening the door and quickly selecting a pair of dark denim skinny jeans and an oversized, cream colored sweater. I slipped out of my sweatpants and tee-shirt, pulling up the jeans before slipping the sweater on. Stepping back towards my closet, I grabbed a black leather jacket and tugged my arms into it. Making my way back to my dresser, I quickly applied some mascara, a bit of concealer to cover the dark circles under my tired eyes, and a faint bit of perfume–for some reason I felt like I could still smell the traces of peanut butter which must’ve gotten into my hair.

I paused, placing the spray onto the dresser and eyeing my reflection. I didn’t look nearly as put together as Karen but definitely better than I had before. My eyes traveled down to my neck, the angry bruising looking a little bit lighter today. I lifted a hand, my fingertips gently tracing the bruises with a frown. I had no way to cover those and I refused to use my abilities to heal them–not that I could now anyway, considering I'd have to explain why they'd disappeared. With a sigh, I pulled some hair forward and tugged my jacket tighter around me. It was the best I could do.

Exiting my room, I heard the sound of muffled voices. The three of them suddenly quieted when I appeared in the living room.

“Maybe you should convince Matt to get a dog and you can share it,” Foggy said as he rose from the couch.

My eyes narrowed playfully at Foggy as Karen giggled behind a hand.

“Are you implying I’m lonely, Nelson?” I asked him.

“Of course not…” Foggy answered, his tone not quite believable. "It certainly doesn't look like you've been in your apartment, alone, for days on end or anything…"

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how service dogs work, for starters,” I told him. “And also–I’m pretty sure I already said I’m partial to cats.”

“Then maybe you should get a cat,” Foggy urged.

“Thinking I should get a head start on being the lonely cat lady already?” I teased him, leading the group towards the front door.

“Oh, well, no–that’s not what I meant,” Foggy fumbled.

I laughed lightly, opening the front door and stepping aside so the three could exit. This time Foggy was leading Matt instead of Karen, who muttered a ‘thank you’ as she passed by.

“I’m just teasing, relax,” I told Foggy, locking the door behind me as I exited. “Besides, I’ve already considered getting a cat. Just haven’t exactly gotten around to it.”

“Maybe you should,” he continued. “I hear they lower stress levels.”

I rolled my eyes, jamming my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket as we stopped in front of the elevator doors.

“Alright, I’m feeling personally attacked now,” I joked. “Can we focus the topic of discussion to something other than me? You said you guys had a new client?”

“Oh! Right, yeah, that guy who came in that morning you were at the office,” Foggy said, perking up. “Can’t really go into details because, you know, client confidentiality and all. But we got a case! A paying one.”

I smiled, watching as the elevator doors flew open and stepping inside behind the group. I found myself suddenly beside Matt, who had dropped Foggy’s arm now.

“That’s great, really,” I told them.

“That reminds me, Karen,” Foggy said, turning his attention to her. “I wanted to ask you about that file from earlier.”

My gaze darted down to my feet as Foggy started discussing some case-related files with Karen. For a moment I wondered if going out to a bar with them was really the best idea, but then I quickly scolded myself. I couldn’t stay inside my apartment hiding forever. Besides, I wouldn’t be alone and tonight should hopefully be fun. And, if I was being honest with myself, I missed all three of them.

A hand gently squeezed my shoulder and I jumped, eyes darting upwards. Matt was looking in my direction, his brows raised just above his dark glasses. I noticed the elevator had reached the lobby, Karen and Foggy holding the doors as they continued their deep discussion.

“You alright?” Matt asked me quietly.

“Yeah, I uhm…yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “Just spaced out for a moment.”

The left side of Matt’s lip curled up at me, his brows lowering. “You mind if I walk with you? I think those two are in the middle of some very boring office talk, and I’ve sort of had enough of that for one Saturday.”

Nervously I shoved a few strands of hair behind my ear, nodding. Immediately realizing he couldn’t see the gesture, I smiled sheepishly and answered, “Yes.”

His warm hand slid from off my shoulder, slipping underneath my arm until he could firmly hold onto my bicep. I fought the shiver that ran down my spine, chewing my lip anxiously as I led him out of the elevator, his cane tapping along the floor as we moved.

“How far is the bar?” I asked curiously, trying to combat the silence as we made our way through the lobby behind Foggy and Karen.

“About a block and a half,” Matt told me. “Not far.”

When we stepped outside, the cold chill of the night immediately bit at my face and I unconsciously leant into Matt.

“Cold?” Matt asked me.

My heart sped up at the sudden closeness of his lips to my ear, his warm breath brushing against my skin. I swallowed hard.

“Yeah, just a little,” I answered.

Without hesitation, he removed his hand from its place around my bicep, instead wrapping it around my waist and pulling me in towards him as we walked. I could feel the hard muscles of his chest against my side now; the warmth of his body seeping through my leather jacket. I could smell the scent of cedar and clove again, something I hadn’t realized I’d missed until just this moment. The feeling that often arose in my stomach around Matt suddenly reared its head, causing my breath to catch briefly on my next inhale.

Matt’s nose brushed against my temple, his lips lightly grazing my ear as he leant in beside me, whispering, “Is this okay?”

I blinked hard, clenching my hands tightly into fists in my jacket pockets. For the briefest moment, I almost stopped on the sidewalk, overcome with a strong urge to grab him by the coat and pull his lips to my own. Immediately I pushed the thought away.

“Yes, but,” I answered, voice weak. I tried to calm down before continuing. “Isn’t this harder for me to help guide you?”

A very light chuckle warmed the side of my face from his breath. His mouth was back near my ear again, lightly skimming his lips against the sensitive part of it as he spoke.

“I know these streets very well,” he assured me. His voice was deep, almost a whisper; a conversation just between us as Karen and Foggy were forgotten ahead of us on the sidewalk. “I’ll be fine.”

There was a beat of silence between us, my mind entirely focused on the feel of Matt’s nose lightly brushing against the top of my head.

“You smell nice,” Matt muttered.

A snort escaped me at his compliment before I shot him a look. He was smiling in my direction, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I very badly wanted to rip those glasses off of his face to see him better.

“What?” he asked curiously, a smile lingering.

“I’m pretty sure there’s peanut butter somewhere in my hair,” I said with a chuckle, my cheeks burning in slight embarrassment.

Matt’s nose nuzzled against the top of my hair for a moment again. My eyes fluttered closed at the gesture; it wasn’t one I’d experienced before–something so sweet and affectionate–and neither were the butterflies that suddenly broke loose in my stomach.

“There’s definitely peanut butter in your hair,” he agreed, his tone teasing.

I laughed lightly along with him, rolling my eyes. “Great. Well, I’m glad you enjoy it. Is it making you hungry?”

“Maybe…” he said, his voice barely audible.

Something about the way he said the word caused a warmth to suddenly erupt low inside of me. I stiffened as I felt Matt’s hand suddenly tighten against my waist. He cleared his throat before speaking again, but I noticed a slight waver in his tone as he did.

“You smell like coffee though,” he murmured. “And a mix of something citrus and floral. Mandarin?” he questioned lightly, brushing his nose against the top of my head again. “And…hibiscus?”

I expelled a breathy laugh, feeling a little lightheaded from this conversation. “You’re good,” I whispered back. “Clearly you know your scents.”

Matt hummed in response, a slight grin permanently fixed on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by Foggy.

“Welcome to Josie’s!” he exclaimed, gesturing dramatically at the entrance to the bar.

Breaking out of the private bubble Matt and I had been in, I glanced up. There was a red neon sign on the front window, displaying the name of the bar. The sound of old rock music was drifting out onto the sidewalk.

Foggy held the door open for Karen to pass through, and then gestured for Matt and myself. Matt’s hand slid from around my waist and back up to my bicep, his warm hand curling around it as I led him inside. I followed behind Karen to the bar, Foggy coming in behind us.

The bar was indeed a dive bar; it was dimly lit with neon signs and a few strings of lights around the ceiling. The walls were a dark wood paneling reminiscent of the seventies and there were a few old gambling game machines placed precariously about. A lone pool table sat vacant near the front window with the neon sign. I was surprised to see there were a handful of people here; it wasn’t crowded but it certainly wasn’t empty.

I rested my arms against the bar top beside Karen, feeling a pang of sadness as Matt released his grip on my arm. Foggy was gaining the attention of Josie behind the bar to order drinks as I continued to survey the room.

The three immediately ordered beers when Josie finally appeared. As she started placing the bottles on the bar, the older woman now stared at me expectantly.

“Oh, uh, water please,” I ordered.

“No!” Foggy and Matt both shouted in unison.

I jumped at their unexpected reaction, my eyes widening. Karen only giggled beside me, shaking her head.

“You do not drink the water at Josie’s,” Foggy warned me dramatically. “There’s something wrong with the pipes. You can… see the bacteria and rust in it.”

“That’s why we always order our drinks neat,” Matt added.

“Alright then…”I said slowly, turning back to the expectant Josie as she rested both hands on the bar. “Just a coke, then.”

“No ice!” Foggy tacked on.

I shook my head, laughing, as we threw some cash on the sticky bar counter.

“Not drinking tonight?” Karen asked me curiously as we waited for my coke.

“I don’t drink,” I admitted. “I prefer to be in full control of my…mental faculties.”

"Not a problem!" Foggy exclaimed, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

I thanked Josie as she placed my drink on the counter a moment later. My eyes wandered up to the television behind the bar. Despite the muted voices I could see they were talking about the man in the mask, an enlarged, grainy cellphone image of him on the screen. Karen followed my gaze, her eyes landing on the news.

"What’s your take on him?" she asked me curiously.

I shrugged in response, watching as she took a pull from the beer she'd ordered. She shot me a look, shaking her head.

"No, you've been here for a couple weeks now," she pushed. "You've had to have heard about him. Seen the news. Form some sort of an opinion."

"The mysterious Devil of Hell's Kitchen," Foggy said, whispering the vigilante's name. "Now I'm of the opinion we shouldn't let people go around punching criminals–that's illegal and all. But Karen thinks he's a hero."

I glanced at Karen, watching as she pushed some hair behind her ear and stared down at the beer bottle in her hands. Her fingers were peeling the label on the bottle absently.

"He did save my life once," she told me. "And he's been going after only criminals. Not killing anyone." She shrugged. "I think he's doing good."

My attention turned to Matt who was quietly taking a drink from his bottle, his eyes shielded by his glasses. He was leaning against the bar towards us, but he was facing the rest of the bar and the patrons in it. Foggy followed my gaze and threw his arm around Matt, causing his attention to return to our group.

"Matt here claims to not pay attention enough to form an opinion," Foggy told me, shaking Matt a little by the shoulders.

I quirked a brow at him curiously as I took a sip of my drink. "You've lived here longer than me, and you want me to believe you don't have an opinion?" I asked him curiously.

Matt sent me a charming smile as he said, "As a lawyer, I don't condone criminal acts. But he also saved one of our friends, so," he shrugged. "I don't have an answer."

"So what about you?" Karen asked, nudging me curiously. "What's your take?"

My eyes focused on my glass on the bar in front of me. "Honestly, I haven't given it much thought, but," I admitted, noticing the way Matt leaned forward in interest as I spoke, tongue darting out to wet his lips, "I've seen some of the footage they've shared of him on the news. You can't exactly deny that he's…skilled." I winced as Kilgrave’s face came to mind. "There's definitely worse things he could be doing instead of helping the people of Hell's Kitchen."

"So you approve of what he's doing?" Karen pushed.

I shrugged slowly before taking a drink of my coke. "Sure, I guess. At least he's not hurting innocent people."

"You know what? The pool table is open," Foggy said, pointing his beer bottle at the table. "Let's go play a game. We can do teams." He turned to me with a smile and a wink. "I'll be nice and take pity on you and give you Matt."

My brow rose questioningly at his words and the way Karen hid a laugh behind her hand. " Give me Matt?" I asked him.

Matt scoffed, a faux look of offense crossing his face. "I'm a human being, Foggy, you can't just give me away to people."

Foggy grabbed Matt by the arm, leading him toward the pool table. I pushed off the bar beside Karen, eyeing her curiously. She leant in beside me and whispered, "Matt is actually really good at pool."

"Buddy, I'm giving you an in to play with the girl you clearly like," Foggy pointed out matter-of-factly.

My cheeks flamed at his words and I ducked my head, biting my lip. Karen bumped my arm, catching my gaze. She sent me a questioning look, eyebrows raised. She tilted her head towards Matt and then back at me, an expectant look on her face. I chewed the lip caught between my teeth, eyes slightly wide at her silent question. Very slowly I shrugged in answer, shooting her a sheepish look. Her mouth twisted slowly into a knowing smile. Matt and Foggy carried on, entirely unaware of the exchange that just took place.

"Well when you put it like that," Matt countered with a low chuckle.

"Plus I figure Olivia could use the help," he added. A smirk crossed his face as the pair reached the pool table. "Though I suppose that means you can't pretend you need so much help as you usually would."

Matt’s lip curled into a mischievous smile as he turned towards Karen and I. "I still need help finding the cue ball," he pointed out.

I set my drink on the table next to the pool table; Karen shrugged out of her coat and I followed suit. My brow furrowed as a thought hit me and I turned towards Foggy who was helping Matt out of his coat before taking off his own.

"Wait, you think I'm bad at pool?" I asked him.

Foggy hesitated before he placed the coats at the table Karen and I had claimed. A frown crossed his face as he eyed me curiously.

"You're…not?" he asked tentatively.

I smirked at him before shaking my head, heading towards the rack of pool cues and grabbing two.

"I lived in Anchorage for a few years," I explained, turning back to face our little group. "The main social activity was going to bars–to play pool and throw darts." I waved a hand at the bar around us. "This is my element, Nelson."

"Aww, damn it!" Foggy whined.

I laughed, crossing over to Matt and swapping out his beer for the pool cue.

"You're going down, Nelson," I threatened playfully.

"Go easy on me, I'm just a poor lawyer," Foggy joked.

"Consider it payback for the comment about me being lonely and needing a pet," I teased back.

"Ohhh," Karen said, rubbing her hands together as she headed towards the cue rack, "Maybe we should make a bet."

Foggy grunted, rounding on Karen. "Did you not just hear the poor lawyer part?"

"What's your bet, Karen?" Matt asked her, ignoring Foggy.

She chewed her lip and let out a thoughtful hum before a large grin appeared on her face, her eyes landing mischievously on me. My eyes immediately narrowed in response.

"Losers buy the next round," Karen answered slowly, her eyes still reflecting a playful glint as they continued to match my guarded ones, "and winners…kiss."

My mouth dropped as I gaped at Karen. She just giggled in response, feigning innocence. Foggy offered Karen a high five, which she enthusiastically returned.

"Those sound like good terms," Matt responded with a grin. "I accept."

I held up a hand quickly. "Okay, explain to me why there's a stipulation on the winners?"

She shrugged casually, grabbing her beer from off the table and bringing the bottle to her lips. "To make things more interesting," she answered innocently before taking a drink.

Foggy stepped forward, holding his hand out towards me. "Do you accept the terms?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I reached out and shook his hand. "Fine," I muttered.

"Let the record state Olivia shook on it!" Foggy declared to the bar as Karen laughed. His attention returned to me as he released my hand. "Now you either win and kiss my handsome friend there, or intentionally try to lose and wound him deeply, madam."

I laughed awkwardly, unable to hide my amusement and nervousness at Foggy’s playful bluntness.

"And I would be so deeply wounded," Matt agreed beside me, his face serious as I glanced at him. But then slowly his mouth tugged up at the corner, a devilish smirk took its place on his face. I couldn’t help but stare at his lips as he whispered, "I promise I won't bite." He reached up, sliding his dark glasses slightly down his nose just enough to shoot me a wink before he slid them back up.

I swallowed hard, glancing away and avoiding whatever look Karen was surely shooting my way.

"How about you and Karen break," I offered, trying to keep my voice steady. "Give you both a fighting chance."

Foggy racked up, adjusting the balls in their appropriate places before sliding them to center and removing the rack. He waved a hand towards Karen suavely, bowing his head a little as he did.

"Ladies first," he said.

Karen bowed good-naturedly in response. "Thank you, sir," she responded before making her way to the front of the pool table.

Holding my cue between both hands, I watched as Karen lined up her shot as she bent over the pool table. Carefully, she slid the cue back before quickly snapping it forward. The cue ball barreled forward and knocked into the balls with a crack , sending the balls scattering around the table. The solid purple four sunk in the back corner pocket as she righted.

Matt leaned close to me, whispering, "Was it a good break? I heard something go in."

Keeping my eyes on Karen as she moved around the table, looking to take her next shot, I answered, "Pretty decent break. She pocketed one; we're stripes."

"That's good," he whispered back. "Stripes are lucky for me."

I watched as Karen almost got another ball in the pocket, just missing by an inch. Turning my attention on Matt, I asked, "Why does that feel like it's just a line?"

He only grinned back.

"Alright love birds," Foggy teased. "You're up."

I huffed at his comment, rolling my eyes as Matt let out a breathy chuckle. He cocked his head and gestured towards the table.

"Ladies first, right?" he asked smoothly.

"If you insist."

I left his side, making my way around the pool table and pausing in front of the white cue ball. Lightly tapping a finger against the cue in my hands, I surveyed my options for a moment. Eventually I leaned over the table, lining up my shot and finding the right angle to hit the ball. I sucked in a breath as I pulled the cue back between my fingers, releasing it at the same time I released the cue. The white ball flew across the table and knocked into the solid Karen had just knocked near the side pocket, pushing it further away now. The cue ball bounced back against the bumper before flying across to the other side of the table, slapping into the solid green six which in turn sunk the striped blue ten into the pocket.

As I strolled across the side of the table to take my next shot, I caught Foggy’s wide mouthed stare and Karen's surprise.

"How'd she do?" Matt asked his friends.

"I think it's safe to say she knows what she's doing," Karen responded.

I smirked as I leant over the table again, aiming the cue ball and knocking it easily into another striped. It slid right into the pocket as I sauntered over to the cue ball again.

"You guys are going to annihilate us," Foggy groaned. "How much time did you spend playing pool at the bars in Anchorage?" he called over to me.

I hit the cue ball, watching as it rolled its way across the table and sunk another stripe before I glanced up at Foggy with a smug smile.

"Well I don't drink, so… a lot?" I mused aloud. "But I'll show some mercy," I joked as I took another shot, intentionally leaving the cue ball in an awkward position for Foggy.

“Thank God for small mercies,” he mumbled sarcastically as we passed by each other.

I grinned, grabbing my coke from off of the table and finishing it. Foggy took his time lining up his shots, managing to land a tricky shot and sinking a ball, but missing on his next turn.

“Your turn buddy,” Foggy told Matt as he took his place beside Karen.

I stepped away from the table, crossing the two short strides to stand beside Matt. Gingerly I grabbed his forearm as I told him that the cue ball was on the opposite side of the table. As we passed by Karen and Foggy, I swore I heard Foggy lean in to Matt and whisper a “you’re welcome” as Karen giggled.

I stopped in front of the end of the table, Matt pausing beside me. “So,” I told him, sliding my hand down his forearm to catch the back of his free hand in mine, gently guiding it forward onto the table towards the white ball, “the cue ball is right here.” I paused as I held his hand against the ball, noticing how his head tilted close to me, his brows furrowing in thought as he paid close attention to my voice. “It’s about six inches to the left of the back middle pocket; about a foot from the back bumper. You’ve got a pretty clear shot at your ten o’clock to sink the eleven in the middle left pocket.” My eyes darted around the table, taking in other options.

“Or?” he asked softly, slowly leaning over the table and readying his cue.

Tentatively, I guided him along the table, one hand on his with the cue, the other on his waist as I turned him just a fraction.

“Or,” I told him, not entirely sure how good he was at pool, “If you hit the cue ball to your four o’clock, hard enough to bounce the bumper, there’s another striped perfectly lined up with the back left corner pocket near us.”

“Hmm,” Matt hummed in thought. “Thank you.”

My hands slowly slid off of him and I took a couple of steps back, crossing my arms across my chest and studying him curiously. His head tilted in a few different directions around the table for a moment before he leaned further over lining up his shot. It was at that moment I realized I had the perfect view of his ass and I tried–I really tried–not to check him out but my eyes dipped down for one appreciative moment. When I glanced up, I saw Karen smirking at me from across the pool table. I raised a hand, trying to cover the silent laugh that escaped me. The movement caught Foggy’s attention and he momentarily sent me a questioning look, to which I shook my head in response to. Karen bit her lip, trying to fight back her own laugh. The sound of Matt hitting the ball broke the moment and I glanced down at the table, watching as the balls scattered. He’d chosen the more complicated shot and succeeded.

“Good shot,” I praised him, slightly impressed as I made my way back beside him.

He turned his face towards me, grinning wide. “Maybe I just really want to win.”

“Flirt,” I teased him back as I guided him by his forearm towards the cue ball again.

“Is it working?” he asked me curiously.

I grabbed the back of his hand again, guiding it towards the cue ball as I reminded him, “I don’t date flirts. Cue ball is here, just in front of the back left pocket.” His hand touched the ball as I leaned in just over his shoulder, eyeing the potential shots. “You’ve got a good shot at another stripe, directly across the table in the corner right pocket. The ball is about…” I paused, gauging the distance, “four inches to the left of the pocket.”

“Easy,” Matt mumbled.

Again, I let go of him and stepped back, watching once again as he appeared to take in the table despite his lack of sight. Then he lined up his shot for a moment and sunk the ball. Matt stood up, smiling.

“Did that go in, Foggy?” Matt joked. “I couldn’t see.”

I giggled as Foggy exasperatedly rolled his eyes at his friend. “Yes, Matt,” Foggy answered in a deadpan. “You know it damn well did.”

I led Matt all the way to the other side of the table where the cue ball now sat, once again guiding his hand to the ball and directing him to where the last stripe sat and the obstacles in his way before I left him to take his shot. Honestly, I didn’t expect that he’d be able to make it–that shot would be tricky even to me. But my mouth dropped in shock when I watched him hit the ball and it jumped over a solid, smacked into a bumper, and then rolled into the final stripe, pocketing it.

“Should we get drink orders ready?” Foggy joked. “Seems like we lost already.”

Karen laughed, playfully swatting Foggy’s arm. Matt turned towards me, a wide grin still spread across his handsome face.

“What do you think, should I give them a chance?” Matt teased.

I snickered at his question, stepping towards him to guide him yet again to the cue ball.

“That’s on you,” I answered simply.

I lined him up and directed him to where the eight ball now sat on the table. It wasn’t a remotely difficult shot at all. When I laid out the table for him, he paused for a moment in thought as I stepped back.

“Eight ball, right corner pocket,” Matt called out.

I saw Foggy roll his eyes as Karen sent me a quick wink, downing the rest of her beer. I blushed, focusing back on the game. Matt hit the ball and it easily rolled across the table, knocking the eight ball into the right corner pocket.

“Alright!” Foggy exclaimed, clapping his hands as Matt turned around from the table. “Another beer for you and another coke for the lady?”

“Sure,” Matt agreed, his focus in my general direction now.

I swallowed hard, glancing at Foggy and nodding quietly. Karen waggled her brows at me before linking her arm around Foggy’s.

“We’ll be at the bar, grabbing the next round,” Karen told us, tugging on Foggy’s arm.

As they began walking away, Foggy called back, “Remind me to never put you two on a team together!”

I chuckled as I watched them retreat to the bar, sliding past a few patrons as they went.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Matt said, appearing in front of me now, “but we did just win, correct?”

I smiled, eyes darting up to the bar ceiling.

“Yes.”

“And the bet was that the losers had to buy the next round, correct?” he asked next.

My eyes slid down towards my hands, which were now playing with the hem of my sweater.

“Yes.”

“So Foggy and Karen are off fulfilling their end of the bet, but–correct me if I’m wrong here,” he said again, holding up a hand and looking very serious, “but wasn’t there another part of that bet? For the winners?”

Slowly my gaze shifted up towards Matt, his serious expression fighting to remain on his face.

“...yes.”

He raised a hand to his chin, rubbing against the stubble there as if deep in thought.

“Something about…” he made a face as if trying to remember, “the winners kissing?”

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to fight the grin on my face anymore.

“Yes.”

His lips twisted into a matching grin, his tongue darting out against them for a moment. My eyes followed the movement.

“And you did agree to it, right?” he teased.

I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Yes, Matt.”

He took a step closer towards me, leaning in and whispering, “I just wanted to check.”

His hand rose, his fingertips grazing my jaw before he slid it further up, cupping my cheek lightly. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned closer, using his hand to tilt my face up towards him as his other hand suddenly gripped my waist, drawing me closer. Instinctively my hands flew up, resting against his solid chest to brace myself at the movement. The rough pad of his thumb briefly swiped over my cheekbone, caressing it a few times as I swallowed hard, eyes slowly drifting closed. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was almost positive Matt could hear it with how close he was to me.

It was another moment before his lips brushed lightly against mine for the briefest second and I unconsciously found my own tilting up to chase after his. A single huff of amusement left him at the gesture before he closed the distance, bringing his mouth to mine. His lips were warm and surprisingly soft against my own, which stood in contrast to the pleasurable rasp of his stubble against my skin. The hand on my cheek carefully made its way down, gingerly sliding down my chin and towards the back of my neck as he drew me in closer, our lips still working against each other slow and sweet. With a mind of its own, my right hand slid the rest of its way up his chest to wrap against the back of his neck, fingernails lightly raking against the bare skin there. The hand at my waist gripped tight in response, his fingers pushing into the fabric of my sweater.

After another moment he pulled away, leaning his forehead lightly against mine. I struggled to even my breathing, a heat igniting within me at the absence of his lips. I wanted more; more of his mouth, more of his skin, more of his body against mine. It was an ache I’d never felt before. But as my eyes fluttered open and were met with my own reflection in his dark glasses–which I so desperately wanted to rip off of his face yet again–I recalled where we were and why we’d kissed in the first place.

My hands immediately released the grip they’d had on him as I anxiously stepped back. In turn, Matt’s hands slid from their place against my waist and my neck, our foreheads pulling apart at the distance. I swallowed hard a few times, trying to collect myself as I blinked rapidly. When I glanced up at Matt, his breathing was a bit uneven as well but I noticed him shoot me a small, almost sad, smile. The expression confused me, causing my brows to crease together, but before I could say anything, we were interrupted by Foggy and Karen returning.

“Alright, so this round,” Foggy said as he handed Matt a fresh beer, “it’s guys against gals.”

Matt’s expression quickly recovered at the sound of Foggy’s voice, and he raised the beer to his lips before saying, “Sounds like it’d be a bit more fair.”

I found myself staring curiously after Matt for another moment, trying to decipher the look on his face, before Karen appeared beside me, holding out a full coke with a soft smile on her face. I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts and shooting her a smile.

“Thanks,” I told her, accepting the drink. “Wanna wipe the cocky smiles off their faces?”

“ Always ,” Karen answered with a grin.

The next game began with many taunts and playful name-calling before we’d eased into other topics of conversation. It was unexpected when I was taking my shot that Karen brought up a new topic.

“Did any of you listen to the last few episodes of Trish Talk?”

I paused, my body freezing as I was trying to line up a shot.

“Yes,” Foggy answered immediately.

Matt shook his head. “No, I don’t generally take an interest in that show,” he admitted.

Foggy quickly cleared his throat. “Yeah, I mean. I was just listening in to that case she was talking about on there the other day. It was interesting, you know, from a lawyer’s perspective.”

“What case?” Matt asked curiously.

I had been lining up my shot again when Karen answered.

“Hope Shlottman? The girl who claims some guy named…Kilgrave? Mind controlled her to kill her parents,” she told him.

My hand slipped as I took the shot, his name causing my hands to immediately slick over with sweat. The cue ball barely rolled along the table not hitting a single ball. I swore I saw Matt’s head turn towards the pool table at my fumble.

“I can’t believe Hogarth took on that case,” Foggy said. “It still baffles me.”

“Why?” I asked, trying not to sound too curious as I made my way back over towards the group.

“Because she only takes winners,” Matt answered. “Cases that are a guaranteed win. Ones to make her firm look good.”

“And this one,” Foggy continued, “is…just strange. There’s video footage of her… committing the crime ,” he said, unable to say the word ‘murder.’ “And then she wants to…what, maybe plead insanity? I guess? Because she can’t really be intending to argue some man mind-controlled her to do it.”

I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. “How would one even go about doing that, assuming, you know, someone did do that?”

Foggy sent me a weird look as Matt’s brows rose behind his dark glasses. I cleared my throat again, awkwardly this time, as the weight of their expressions lingered on me.

“I mean, hypothetically, of course,” I continued quickly. “I’m just curious. Since you guys are, you know, lawyers.”

“Well…” Foggy started, pausing as he thought, staring down at the beer in his hands. The pool game was long forgotten now. “I suppose witness testimonies would help. But like… a lot of them. Better if they were from reputable people.”

“What about…a recording? Of the man using his ability?” I asked.

Matt’s brows furrowed at my question as his head tilted further towards me, but he remained silent as Foggy answered. I could practically feel his intense focus on me, the hairs prickling along the back of my neck.

“You’d probably need reputable witnesses at the taping. The more the merrier,” he told me, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Because someone could always doctor a tape to make it look like he could mind control people. So you’d need to make it credible. Hypothetically, of course.”

“Yeah,” I said, swallowing thickly. “Hypothetically.”

“But it was a weird episode,” Foggy continued. “Trish doesn’t usually talk about that sort of stuff, and she sounded like she believed it. Especially when she apologized the following day on her show to the man. As if he actually exists.” “That’s what I thought was weird,” Karen agreed. "Why would she apologize? Unless he…does exist. Maybe threatened her…"

I downed the rest of my coke swiftly, setting the glass on the table beside me. My hands were shaking and I tried to still the movement by gripping the soft fabric of my sweater.

"You feeling alright, Olivia?" Matt asked me curiously.

My head spun towards Matt, wiping my sweating palms against my jeans now. I forced a smile on my face though I was sure Foggy and Karen could see how tense it was.

"Yeah," I answered him quickly, voice a little high. I cleared my throat before adding on, "I'm just going to find the restroom."

"I'll come with you," Karen offered abruptly, setting her drink onto the table. She grabbed my arm and led me forward. "I'll show you where it's at."

Karen led us through the bar towards the back, where there was a sign for the bathrooms. We entered the women's restroom and I bolted for an empty stall. I used the bathroom, lingering for a moment to compose myself, before heading out and washing my hands. I could feel Karen’s eyes on me as she dried off her hands on a paper towel.

"How was it?" she finally asked me.

I glanced up at her, our eyes meeting through the dirty mirror. My breath caught in my throat–did she know?

"How was what?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes, ripping off a sheet of paper towel and crossing the bathroom towards me, holding it out to me.

"The kiss?" she prompted.

I grabbed the paper towel from her, drying my hands off. I released a breath, my shoulders relaxing. A flush crept over my cheeks as I remembered the way his hand had cupped my cheek, his thumb gently caressing my skin; the strength of his chest underneath my hands, all hard muscle. I could still remember the feel of his soft lips moving so slowly against my own, the faint taste of him that had lingered for a brief moment after. My jaw clenched as I recalled the warmth of the bare skin on his neck under my fingers and the way his grip tightened on my waist when my nails had lightly dragged across the back of his neck.

"That good, huh?" Karen asked when I didn't answer.

I laughed nervously, her voice pulling me back to the present. Tossing the paper towel into the garbage can, I nervously tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It was…" I paused, exhaling slowly. "Yeah, it was good," I confessed. "Especially considering it wasn't, you know, an actual kiss."

Karen’s brows raised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's because it was part of the bet," I told her. "For the game. Not like…it was supposed to mean something. I'm sure he does that all the time."

She frowned instantly, shaking her head with a sigh. "Foggy must have gotten into your head," Karen said. "I know I haven't known them for too long, but Matt has mentioned you a few times. I know he's asked Foggy about you, too, because he's told me. Matt's definitely interested, but he thinks you're not."

Crossing my arms across my chest, I glanced away, my mind racing back to the other night when Matt had come to check on me. The way he'd seemed so upset about me thinking he was the type of guy who slept around. Then I remembered the sad smile I'd seen on his face after he'd kissed me and frowned.

"I'm not good with relationships," I admitted hesitantly. "I've only had one and it was…bad, real bad. I don't exactly know how to do the whole relationship thing. And I'm not too interested in trying again at the moment." Under my breath I muttered, "Certainly not with someone who seems to easily flirt with every woman he's attracted to."

Karen mimicked my posture, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think Matt is like that," she said slowly. "He's sweet. A good guy. If he wasn't genuinely interested he wouldn't be pursuing you. And Foggy said he's not seeing anyone else. He told me, and I quote, 'the guy is smitten'." She leaned forward, a large smile on her face as she emphasized again, " Smitten. Matt Murdock is smitten with you."

A small smile crossed my lips, but it vanished quickly when I remembered that not only did Matt not really know me, but I was also actively trying to help Jessica and Trish prove that my ex was in fact capable of mind control. And not only that, but he was someone who had forced Jessica and Hope to commit murder, along with so many others who had done equally horrible things because of him. The guilt of that weighed heavily on me, but when Kilgrave found out I was in Hell's Kitchen–because he would soon–I knew those around me wouldn't be safe. I couldn’t willingly put Matt in further danger, it would be terribly reckless.

"It…it can't happen," I said firmly. "Not right now, at least."

Her blue eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.

"So you do like him?" she questioned.

"I mean…I don't know him too well," I told her slowly. "But he's sweet. And funny…and so incredibly, unfairly attractive that it's painful."

Karen giggled, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "I saw you checking out his ass while we were playing pool!"

I laughed with her, holding a finger to my lips and shushing her between laughs. "That's our secret!"

Karen grinned, raising a hand and making a cross over her heart before pretending to seal her lips.

"He likes you though," she said when the laughter died down. "Maybe give it some thought before you completely say no."

I opened my mouth to answer but the buzzing of my phone cut me off. Sliding a hand into my pocket, I grabbed my phone and fished it out. The name on the screen read 'Jessica.' I frowned before taking a step back from Karen.

"I have to take this, I'll be out in a minute," I assured her.

She nodded before turning to leave. I waited until she was out of the bathroom before I answered.

"Jessica?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Not more than usual," she greeted quickly. "Look, I managed to get my hands on the Sufentanil tonight. Don't ask me how, it's not important."

"Why do I feel like you stole from a hospital?" I muttered.

"Because I did, not the point," she continued on. "Can you meet us tomorrow? Trish and I have a plan to capture him. I can explain it all tomorrow, but…" she hesitated, sounding vulnerable suddenly. "I could really use your help. If you can really do what you say you can, we could really use you if this goes south."

"Whatever it takes, right?" I reiterated. "I'll be wherever you need me."

"Great," Jessica said, the word coming out like a sigh of relief. "My apartment tomorrow morning at 8? You remember where it is?"

"Yeah, I can be there," I assured her.

There was a pause, a beat of silence over the line.

"What?" I asked her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't thank me, I told you that," I reminded her, guilt roiling in my gut. "I should have done something sooner, I'm fixing it now. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

I hung up, sliding the phone back into my pocket. Pausing for a moment, I took a calming breath before exiting the bathroom. I maneuvered my way through the crowd, spotting Karen sitting with Matt and Foggy over by the pool table where I'd left them. As I began passing the bar, something caught me by the arm and I stumbled to a stop. I swore I saw Matt stiffen at the table across the room before I turned to see who'd grabbed me.

"You could do a lot better, baby," the man holding my arm said in a low rumble. "You and that blonde." His head gestured towards Karen and I felt my fists clench at my sides, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. "A nerd and a blind guy…" He shook his head, eyes traveling down to rest on my chest as he bit his lip.

I wrenched my wrist free of his grip, glaring at the large, slightly inebriated man on the bar stool. I snapped my fingers up by my face twice.

"Eyes up here, asshole," I snapped at him.

His eyes slid back up to my face, a dark expression forming on it.

"Mouthy," he growled, rising from the barstool and towering over me. "Should teach you a better use for that mouth of yours."

"Sit your ass back in your chair," I snarled, voice lowering dangerously, "before I teach you a better use for yours."

With a sneer, the man balled his meaty hand into a fist and swung it backwards. A collective gasp sounded around us as he aimed a punch at me, but I caught his hand instinctively the moment it flew forward, snatching it the second it was mere inches from my face. The man froze, brow furrowing.

"No fighting in my bar!" Josie's voice boomed from behind the counter.

I clamped my hand tighter around the man's fist, eyes narrowing. I could feel a tingling sensation starting from my temples and behind my eyes before vibrating down towards the hand gripping the man's fist. I ducked my head, letting my hair fall forward to cover my face a little as I spoke.

"You should sit down," I ordered in a harsh whisper, my voice coming out with a faint vibration through the air, "apologize, and return to your drink. You don’t want to cause a scene."

The man gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, dumbfounded. His fist suddenly lowered, hand dropping to his side as he sat into his chair again.

"I'm sorry about that," he muttered, brows furrowed as he spun back around in his chair, his attention back on his drink as he scratched his head.

I stood still for a moment, waiting for the telltale vibration to dissipate before I glanced past him, spotting Josie watching me curiously from behind the bar. The people standing directly beside us were also staring now. I cleared my throat and shrugged casually.

"Guess he didn't want to make a scene," I explained simply before turning and walking away.

Foggy interrogated me the moment I neared the table.

"What the hell was that?" he questioned immediately.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked with a voice as tight as his grip on the table.

"I'm fine," I assured Matt before facing a flabbergasted Foggy and a very pensive Karen. "Just a drunk guy who realized it wasn't worth starting a fight and getting kicked out." I waved a hand, trying to downplay the situation.

"What an asshole," Foggy grumbled, glaring at the guy at the bar. "I'm sorry, Olivia. But hey," he said, shooting me an apologetic smile, "Matt and I would have kicked his ass for you. I don't know how well, mind you."

I laughed, mentally noting the way Karen was staring at me with a calculated gaze. "I appreciate it but I can handle myself."

"Obviously," Karen said as she pointed towards the bruises on my neck, "since you survived whatever that was."

I forced the smile to remain on my lips as my eyes darted to my coat.

"I should probably get back home, it's getting late," I announced, making my way towards the jacket. "Thanks for inviting me out though, it was good to get out for a bit."

Matt abruptly rose from his chair, a charming smile on his face. "Let me walk you home."

"Oh you don't have to–"

"I insist," Matt cut me off. "Besides, we're going the same way."

#matt murdock x ofc #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock #daredevil x oc #daredevil #matt murdock series #matt murdock fanfic

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fluffyprettykitty · 2 years

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Revelations

Pairing: college! Jessica Jones x female reader (no other specifications!)

Word Count: 850 words

Outline: Crushing on your friend's hotel room after a party where true feelings come to light.

Warnings: Weed. Alcohol mention. Tiny bit of angst.

Author’s Note: First time writing for Jessica, lowkey nervous. Based on irl experiences.

P.S: dividers by @firefly-graphics || banners by @maysdigitalarts

Main Masterlist ・❥・Jessica Jones Masterlist

"Tonight was wild." You sigh as you walk inside Jessica's hotel room and collapse on the bed from exhaustion.

"Yeah, Trish always has the wildest parties." The tall brunette woman claims and sits on the bed next to you. "Sorry for your room."

"Oh, don't worry about it all." You tap on her knee with your ring-clad fingers. "You got two beds here so I can sleep soundly."

"Yeah and you can take a shower if you need to or anything you want, really. Doubt Trish would return tonight." She mumbles and places her head against the bed frame. "We should have sneaked a couple of bottles from the party though."

"Oh, I got something better. " You chuckle and reach for the pocket of your jeans pulling out a little box.

"Ah shit. You're good." Jessica beams and gazes at your box full of edible gummies. You shake the box for her to show her it's full and then push the top open.

"After you, my lady." You wink at her offering one.

"Why thank you, miss Y/N. " Jessica picks one from the box and you notice how warm her hand feels against the freezing temperatures of yours.

"And one for me." You cheer and pop one inside your mouth. You place the box in the space between in case she needs any more. You knew she could handle her alcohol, maybe she was the same about weed as well.

The conversation shifted back to the party and Trish and you talked mostly waiting for the sweet high to hit you both. You and Jessica had met at the beginning of the school year even though she was one year above you. You had just started your last year while she only needed to pass two more classes till she graduated.

After a couple of days, having greeted each other one morning and grabbing coffee, she started inviting you to various parties alongside Trish. You liked Trish as a person even though she seemed a little bit too much as a person, you preferred Jessica's quietness. Matched well with your introverted nature.

You feel your sight getting hazy, your mind beginning to blank as the high finally hits you, your words getting more and more slurred.

"Fuck." Jessica comments. "You're really in it."

"Yeah, shit. It didn't hit you?"

She shrugs and looks at the box. You place your hand on hers and nod your head frantically. "Take more" you repeat in a menacing voice and she scoffs as she puts another one in her mouth looking at you.

"These usually won't work on me. Maybe I should go and steal some booze. "

"Check the mini-fridge."

"That will cost a fortune"

You only whine as you settle your head down and look at her.

"There's something about you. Something…"

"Don't say something cheesy."

"Fuck, I won't." You burst out laughing, the weed controlling or not your emotions and reactions.

"You want to say something but you won't."

"Maybe." She scoffs and shakes her head. "Do you want to say something?"

"Maybe I do."

"Ah, huh. Express yourself."

"I honestly thought the first time you invited me it'd be just the two of us."

"Ah shit, Trish always drags me to her parties."

"Yeah." You mumble and avert her gaze as she is settling on her hands.

"Eh, Trish can be too much."

She shrugs, she doesn't know what you meant at all. So even in your haziness, you know better than to drop the conversation.

But then silence fills the room and she looks at you with eyebrows drawn.

"You know, I." She mumbles and sighs looking at you. "I know. " She nods her head and scoffs, rolling her eyes. Almost as if she's fighting herself." I know. I can tell.'" she proceeds to gesture with her hands.

"I can tell you like girls." She blurts out fast and scoffs again.

"Not a lot of them." You whisper behind a pout and gaze at her.

"I'm broken goods."

You chuckle and shake your shoulder. "I'm really into construction, you know."

She seems so soft and innocent underneath the soft bedroom light and the way her eyebrows frown at even the hint of expressing human emotions melts your heart.

Yeah, you are really into construction.

You reach out with your hand and motion for her to hold yours. It takes her one small moment of hesitation before she is offering you her hand. And you know her warmth was all you ever needed.

A small smile is forming in the corner of her plump lips and she knows you're staring at your lips. You can tell by the way she stares once at your eyes, twice at your lips.

You sigh, suppressing another chuckle. You really have to do everything yourself. You rise up from your position and softly but determinedly crush your lips against hers.

And it doesn't long for the high and the heat to overcome both of your bodies, entangling you both into one another forevermore.

for updates follow @fluffyprettykittylibrary and then turn on post notifications! my inbox is always open 🖤

#jessica jones #jessica jones x reader #jessica jones fluff #jessica jones x you #jessica jones fanfic #jessica jones drabble #nmcu x reader #nmcu #marvel x reader #marvel fluff #wlw fic #wlw fanfic #defenders #the defenders #krysten ritter #selenewrites #wlw

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rawiswhore · 1 year

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William Regal x Fem Reader- "Spill the Tea"

Many professional wrestlers have been famous enough to be considered for roles in popular movies.

The Rock was offered to play Willy Wonka in the 2005 Tim Burton remake, Trish Stratus was considered to play Jessica Alba's role in "Sin City", Triple H was considered to play Thor in the early 2010's and Chyna was offered a role in the 3rd "Terminator" movie.

When you were at the zenith of your wrestling popularity in the late 1990's, you were considered for many roles in popular movies.

Some of the roles you were considered for and offered were Elizabeth Hurley's character in "Bedazzled", Carmen Electra's role in "Scary Movie", one of the angels in those "Charlie's Angels" movies, Lara Croft in the "Tomb Raider" movies, one of the strippers in "Night at the Blue Iguana" and one of the barmaids in "Coyote Ugly".

Even in the early 2000's when your popularity had winded down, you were considered for several roles in popular movies, like playing Elisha Cuthbert's character in "The Girl Next Door" and Anna Faris' role in "Just Friends".

However, you turned down all of those roles down due to the scheduling you had to do for the World Wrestling Federation (as well as the WWE).

Looking back, you regret turning down to play some of these movie roles, in particular in "Coyote Ugly" and "Night at the Blue Iguana".

Speaking of which, if there is something that is really popular in pop culture going on, the WWE/F will try to cash in on it and reference it.

Examples would be Al Snow's Chihuahua Pepper being based off of the iconic Taco Bell Chihuahua who was popular AF at the time and the Kat recreating a moment in her dressing room based off of an Austin Powers movie gag.

Since you couldn't really be in "Coyote Ugly", you're going to bring that movie to the World Wrestling Federation.

Yes, the WWE was still called the WWF when "Coyote Ugly" was released!

On a "Sunday Night Heat" episode in September 2000---which was one month after "Coyote Ugly" was released---William Regal was sitting backstage in front of a circle shaped table, where there was a silver tray sitting on top of this table.

This tray contained a matching silver teacup and teapot on top of that tray.

You marched down to William, and as you walked up to him and the table he was sitting by, the camera was filming you walking sideways, and many male fans in the audience got out of their seats and cheered for you and whistled at you.

The outfit you wore was similar to what the women in "Coyote Ugly" wore---wearing hip hugging pants with a midriff baring tank top.

You placed your hands on top of the table William was sitting at once you stood in front of it, where you slightly bent yourself down.

"Hey" you greeted him with a slight smirk on your face.

William wasn't taken aback by seeing you, in fact, he enjoyed looking at you, his eyes studying you up and down.

Your eyes looked inside those teacups to see if there's any tea there, and lo and behold, there was.

"May I have a sip of tea?" you asked him with a smirk, the index finger of one of your hands raising off of the table and pointing inside that tea cup, asking him for a drink to be polite.

"Go ahead!" William offered with a smile.

He actually doesn't mind it if you have a sip of tea, with the way you look.

"Thanks" you replied with a smirk on your face, where one of your hands took one of the tea cups and raised it up to your mouth, where you took a sip of it and arched your head back as you drank that tea.

It isn't very classy to drink down tea like you're drinking a shot glass, but there's a reason you're drinking your tea like that.

You raised your head up after you drank that tea, placing the cup of tea back on the table.

"Y'want me to pour you some more tea?" you asked him with a grin on your face, removing your hand off of that tea cup when you asked that.

"Oh yes, please!" William replied excitedly, smiling and eager to await.

This was making the audience really think of "Coyote Ugly", and that was the intention.

William may be a classy English gentleman, but he can enjoy some rowdiness.

One of your hands grabbed that tea pot by its handle and raised it up from the table, where you tilted it above one of the empty tea cups and tea poured out of that pot and into the cup.

As the tea poured into that tiny little tea cup, your eyes were looking inside the tea while your mouth grinned, and your hips were gyrating and grinding left and right while your knees were bending a little bit.

You were basically acting like those women in "Coyote Ugly" pouring alcohol in people's drinks while they sexily danced on top of bar tables.

Your eyes were careful when you watched how much tea gets poured into that cup.

William, on the other hand, was looking at you pour that tea in the cup, his eyes focusing both on you and the tea being poured.

His eyes were wide and eyebrows raised.

"I wish I had a stripper pole right now" you admitted to him with your eyes looking at him. "Maybe even danced on top of a bar"

Male fans in the audience got out of their seats and cheered hearing that, agreeing with you.

William would have to agree with that, considering he wants to see you work that pole.

You didn't pour all the tea inside that pot, you were saving that for later.

You then raised the teapot until it was positioned straight, where you placed the teapot back on top of the table and let go of it.

You strutted around next to the table William was sitting by until you were close enough for hands to reach and touch him, and your hands grabbed William's button down shirt and pulled it apart until the buttons popped down out of the holes.

This really took William by surprise, even though this moment was rehearsed and staged.

The audience was completely shocked seeing this moment, both male and female fans.

As the buttons kept being separated away from the holes due to you opening up his dress shirt, more of his bare skin was getting exposed underneath that shirt.

William wasn't disgusted over you ripping his shirt up at all, but his eyes were looking at his bare chest and torso getting exposed.

After his shirt was unbuttoned, with your eyes looking into his eyes and with a smirk on your face.

"Is this tea hot?" you asked him.

"Not quite" he admitted.

You're not going to do what he thinks you're going to do.

Oh yeah, you did it, but at least you were polite and asked him if this tea is hot so you won't hurt him.

One of your hands let go of his shirt and grabbed that tea pot on top of the table, where you tilted it above his chest and poured that tea on top of his torso, where warm tea poured out of the pot and landed on his bare chest, the tea dripping and running down his skin.

The tea wasn't that warm, but the fans really reacted to this.

Fans---both male and female---cheered seeing this moment, whereas William's face was panicking and freaking out a bit.

Some of the tea was even sinking into William's clothes.

You, on the other hand, were smiling and grinning while your eyes looked at his chest as you poured that tea on his torso.

The skin on his torso was turning a little bit pinkish from getting slightly burned by that tea, but he wasn't completely burned by it.

You then raised that teapot up until it was sitting up straight, and you then raised that tea pot up until it was a few inches above your head, where you tilted that teapot and let it pour out tea on top of your face and on your body.

Your hand holding that teapot motioned it to pour on your face and on your top, making that tea pour across both of your tits.

You wore no bra underneath your top, so your nipples were poking through it.

When you poured this tea on top of you, male fans in the audience got out of their seats and cheered, although is this really sexy?

While you were pouring tea on top of yourself, you swayed your hips left and right sexily to dance, placing your opposite hand on your hip as you swayed and grinded your hips and body.

Your makeup surprisingly wasn't running as you poured tea on yourself, but your hair was getting wet and tea was soaking through your tank top.

"Is this sexy?" you asked him as you poured that tea on you. "I wish I could pour some water on myself right now"

So you could recreate another "Coyote Ugly" scene where the barmaids pour water on themselves when they're standing on top of the bar.

You would toss the rest of the tea in the teapot at William's chest to completely recreate this scene.

You actually recreated a few other "Coyote Ugly" moments in episodes of WWF shows, including when they poured water on themselves.

Since you couldn't be in "Coyote Ugly", you'll at least bring it to the WWF.

#william regal #wwf #2000 #2000s #00s #coyote ugly

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up-risingrp · 1 year

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Canons

These are our major canons on the site with activity monitored more closely as they're either part of our site subplots or will be in the future

Avengers

Tony Stark - taken by Kathleen

Steve Rogers (on MAC)

Sam Wilson

Bruce Banner

Natasha Romanoff (on MASH)

Clint Barton

Thor

Scott Lang

Hope van Dyne

Wanda Maximoff - adoptable NPC

Vision

Media

Christine Everhart

JJJ

Trish Walker

Mitchell Ellison

X-Men

(minor canons will be approved on a case by case basis as there are many X-men whose powers will not fit the site)

Charles Xavier - adoptable NPC (on MAC)

Jean Grey - played by rue

Scott Summers - played by kathleen

Hank McCoy (on MAC)

Bobby Drake

James Howlett - played by kathleen

Brotherhood

(same with the X-men, minor canons will be approved on a case by case basis)

Erik Lehnsherr - adoptable NPC (part of MASH)

Raven Darkholme

Lorna Dane

Amara Aquilla (part of MASH)

Hellfire

Warren Worthington III (part of MASH)

Sebastian Shaw - admin NPC (part of MASH)

Emma Frost - adoptable NPC (part of MAC)

Regan Wyngarde

Roberto da Costa

Government

Maria Hill

Nick Fury - admin NPC

Phil Coulson

Bobbi Morse

Daisy Johnson

Melinda May

Al Mackenzie

Everett Ross

Valentina de Fontaine

Sharon Carter

Stark Industries

Pepper Potts - played by rue

Happy Hogan

Leopold Fitz - played by kathleen

Jemma Simmons - played by rue

Street Teams

Peter Parker

MJ Watson - played by rue

Matt Murdock - played by rue

Frank Castle - played by kathleen

Danny Rand

Jessica Jones

Luke Cage

Young Avengers

(not yet a team but can be on the site)

Kamala Khan

Kate Bishop

Cassie Lang

Eli Bradley

America Chavez - admin NPC

David Alleyne

Fantastic Four

Reed Richards - played by rue

Sue Storm

Johnny Storm

Ben Grimm - played by kathleen

Victor von Doom - adoptable NPC

AIM/Villains

Aldrich Killian

Justin Hammer

Helmut Zemo

John Walker

Bucky Barnes - admin NPC

Alexander Pierce

Ophelia Sarkissian - adoptable NPC

Wilson Fisk

Billy Russo

Maya Lopez

#previews #marvel rp #site buzz #jcink rp #jcink premium

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ravenirene · 2 years

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Rating different sapphic ships for marvel women cause I'm bored pt 3

Jennifer Walters/She Hulk

1. Patsy walker/hellcat - patsyjen

10/10

Listen I love them and I hate how they had patsy get engaged to tony. Jennifer's best friend. There personalities match each other's so well. I hope to see them in the mcu but jessica jones show messed up patsy and made her to whatever trish was.

2. Janet van dyne(not Hope)

10/10

Lawyer x fashion designer. They're adorable. That time thor was trying to comfort jan and she hulk saw from above and was so mad when he just left her. "Jannie". Jen and her gf being the wine aunt of the group/avengers. Why does the mcu keep messing up Jens besties?

3. Tigra

8/10

Jens other cat gf. @WorldOfTigra the only other tigrajen shipper I know. If jen ever got a gf legitimately speaking I feel like it should be her or jazinda.

4. Jazinda

9/10

Since we're already on the topic. Green gf x green gf. Power duo. I love and miss jazinda I need her to come back. They 100% had something

5. Thundra

5/10

Now thundra most definitely had a crush on jen/she hulk but jen didn't return the feelings. Also she's just into hulks as a general since she was w bruce for a while

6. Sue storm

7/10

Once jen started hanging out, sue started getting these gay little haircuts. I perfer them as friends but at the same time I haven't read a fantastic four comic w she hulk in it for a while. Also the only sapphic sue ship I can think of other than janet

7. Carol danvers - caroljen

6.5/10

Copy and paste from the carol one. I'm going to be honest I didn't even think about this until a month ago. I like them better as friends but don't mind it romantically either

All that I can think of off the top of my head for jen. I'll probably do wanda next

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voluntadfuerte · 7 months

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Starter call - Marvel

Bobbi Morse - Comics - Jennifer Morrison (bisexual)

Brunnhilde - Comics/MCU - Tessa Thompson (bisexual)

Cassie Lang - Comics - Seychelle Gabriel (lesbian)

Carol Danvers - MCU - Brie Larson (bisexual)

Cindy Moon - Comics - Jung Ho Yeon (bisexual)

Clint Barton - Comics - Boyd Holbrook (bisexual)

Daisy Johnson - AoS - Chloe Bennet (bisexual)

Elektra Natchios - Netflix - Elodie Yung (bisexual)

Erik Lehnsherr - Comics - Adrien Brody (bisexual)

Frank Castle - Netflix - Jon Bernthal (bisexual)

Gwen Stacy - ITSV - Olivia Holt (bisexual)

Grant Ward - AoS - Brett Dalton (bisexual)

Harry Osborn - Comics/TASM/Raimi - Tom Doherty (queer - without label)

James Barnes - Comics/MCU (cacw divergent) - Sebastian Stan (bisexual)

Jane Foster - Comics/MCU - Natalie Portman (pansexual)

Jemma Simmons - AoS - Elizabeth Henstridge (bisexual)

Jennifer Walters - Comics/MCU - Tatiana Maslany (bisexual)

Jessica Drew - Comics - Adria Arjona (bisexual)

Jessica Jones - Netflix - Krysten Ritter (bisexual)

Johnny Storm - Comics - Jordan Fisher (bisexual)

Karen Page - Netflix - Meghan Markle (bisexual)

Kate Bishop - Comics - Kiersey Clemons (bisexual)

Kitty Pryde - Comics - Lily Collins (bisexual)

Lorna Dane - Comics - Zoë Kravitz (bisexual)

Loki Laufeyson - Comics/MCU - Tom Hiddleston/Katie McGrath (genderfluid & bisexual)

Makkari - MCU - Lauren Ridloff (bisexual)

Marc Spector - Comics - Oliver Jackson-Cohen (bisexual)

Matt Murdock - Netflix - Charlie Cox (bisexual)

Namor McKenzie - Comics - Daniel Henney (bisexual)

Natasha Romanoff - Comics - Priyanka Chopra (bisexual)

Peggy Carter - MCU - Candice Patton (bisexual)

Peter Parker - Comics/ITSV - Andrew Garfield (trans man & bisexual)

Reed Richards - Comics - Oscar Isaac (bisexual)

Rogue - Comics/X-Men 1&2 - Lindsey Morgan (pansexual)

Sam Wilson - Comics/MCU (cacw divergent) - Anthony Mackie (bisexual)

Scott Summers - Comics/X-Men 1&2 - Jared Padalecki (bisexual)

Sharon Carter - Comics/MCU (cacw divergent) - Emily VanCamp (bisexual)

Stephen Strange- Comics - Pedro Pascal (bisexual)

Steve Rogers - Comics/MCU (cacw divergent) - Chris Evans (bisexual)

Susan Storm - Comics - Alice Eve (bisexual)

Tony Stark - Comics/MCU (im3 divergent) - Pedro Pascal (bisexual)

Thor Odinson - Comics/MCU (divergent post ragnarok) - Chris Hemsworth (pansexual)

Trish Walker - Netflix - Rachael Taylor (bisexual)

Wade Wilson - Comics/Deadpool 1-2 - Ryan Reynolds (nb & pansexual)

Wanda Maximoff - Comics - Gratiela Brancusi (pansexual)

Yelena Belova - Comics - Léa Seydoux (lesbian)

Please comment with who you want. If you're a multimuse, play who with.

#general | starter call

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russosafehaven · 1 year

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There are Widows and there are Men - Part Two

A/N: Thank you so much for the attention on the first part!! I’m so happy people are enjoying it.

Series Title: There are Widows and there are Men

Chapter Title: Part Two - The truth is out there

Song: Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift

Pairings: Billy Russo x Reader, Past Unnamed Widow x Reader

Word Count: 3209

Warnings: Red Room, SA, Dreykov, ED, SH, Canon Typical Violence, Age Gap (Billy’s 30ish and Reader is around 23)

A soft beeping was the first thing you heard when you came to. Paired with the visuals of an all white room. If you weren’t so used to medical surroundings you’d have thought you had died. There was no one else around. For a moment you reconsidered the idea that you had died. Your eyes wanted to close but your mind knew you had to stay awake. As you attempted to recall what had happened, the door to the room swung open. Angry footsteps made their way across the room. Looking for the source you were met with Billy Russo’s eyes.

“Shit”

You muttered as it all came flooding back to you. Bomb in the bedroom, Billy covering you, Jessica, bullet, blackout. There was no easy way to explain to Billy about your childhood. If you could even call it a childhood. Most kids weren’t genetically engineered to be a clone of the Red Room’s most successful Widow. Your eyes drifted away from Billy shame filling you.

“Yeah shit, what the hell was that?”

He sat down in the edge of the bed and a nurse worked in. You looked up and smiled gently. It was Claire. The two of you had met a few times, primarily through Jessica and her vigilante activities. She had walked over, checking your vitals before sending you a wink and a nod towards Billy. Even without words you knew what she meant.

“Well the technical term would be an explosive, but my sisters would tell me that I’m the bomb”

You cracked a smile at your dumb joke. The Red Room wasn’t a pleasant place, but that didn’t mean you didn’t have friends. Even in the darkest of times there was still a light. Yours was a young girl, Nadia. Although she was trained in the science division you were both close. During your time at the Red Room they started a sister program. Pairing older widows with younger ones. You got paired with Nadia, the daughter of Hank Pym or so you were told. The two of you were close, despite the age gap between the two of you as she was 8 years younger. You and Nadia were both born into this life, raised from infancy in the Red Room. There were some differences, she had parents and even a potential life outside of the Red Room. While you were made, taking the term test tube baby to a whole other level.

“This isn’t the time for fucking jokes. What the hell happened back in your apartment?”

A sigh escaped your mouth. You weren’t fond of the idea of opening up to Billy about what you had gone through. What would he think of you? He was a Marine, he had killed people. You had seen the mission statements proving he had. Even at ANVIL some missions still called for it. He was a soldier who had seen horrific shit while you were nothing but an assassin born for it. Billy kept his eyes trained on you as he waited for a response. The ticking of the clock in the background taunted you. Words floated around in your mind as you started to piece sentences together.

“I… I don’t know what you want me to say”

For a brief flash you see sympathy in his eyes before they turn cold again. His lips pressed into a thin line and you wanted nothing more but to kiss his worry away. It was unorthodox and you knew that. Billy was your boss and you were his employee, nothing more. Even if he could be more to you, you were almost entirely sure that Billy would never look at you like you did him. One of his hands brushed his way through his perfect but over gelled hair.

“How about the truth? Or is everything with you just a big fucking lie? You’re my PA and I just found out I know nothing about you so you better start fucking talking”

While his tone was calm it didn’t take an assassin to detect the seething anger. His eyes were like obsidian and they reminded you of a gift you got from Nadia. You were known for your speciality with knives and for your name day Nadia made you a set of obsidian blades. Different sizes and shapes, one was retractable that sat in the inside of your Widow bites.

“If I tell you, you have to tell me you won’t lose your shit. No offence but I know your temperament”

You were spinning on one of that chairs in the lab. Waiting patiently for your results to come back. The last mission you were sent on ended with you landed on your left arm.

“Well the good news is it’s just dislocated. We can pop it back in and you can be on your merry way. The alternative is I can break it and postpone graduation for you”

The girl tending to you smiled, she was a year older than you and had already graduated. The hair on the back of your neck pricked up thinking of the pain. Most Widows didn’t talk about the ceremony as it was painful. Not just physically but psychologically.

“Hey! That’s risky, besides it’s not like I’m going to escape anyways. May as well go through with it y’know?”

The Widow nodded, looking around for others before placing a chaste kiss to your lips. When she pulled away you smiled. The two of you had been dating for a while now. In secret of course, emotions were the key to failure and if Dreykov found out his Widows formed attachments one of you would die.

A small girl appeared in front of the two. Your eyes looked down at her and you smiled gently. The Widow in front of you was your little sister, meaning you were paired with her. The two of you would train, fight and whatever else. That included missions. The 8 year age gap worked out perfectly in your superiors eyes for taking hits. The younger girl, Nadia, would lure them in. Sometimes with playing the helpless kid or other times with some chemical she designed for that purpose. When the victim was tied down or drugged, you would perform the killing. Something you knew Nadia would eventually have to do. It wasn’t something you liked thinking about, young kids growing up being trained to kill. It horrified you but at the same time it was all you knew.

“You two be careful. Don’t wanna get caught”

Next to Nadia another little girl appeared. She was around Nadia’s age and was your girlfriends mentee. Her name was Ying and there was a rare moment you didn’t see her without Nadia. Their friendship was a moment of bliss for you. Seeing moments when they weren’t training, bloody and broken, but just two happy young girls in the lab. Between the four of you, you were the only one who wasn’t in the science division.

“We won’t get caught Маленькие ученые. I’m being careful, no one will get caught on my watch”

As you finished your first little anecdote about the Red Room. Billy’s hand wandered up your arm looking at the silvery scars. His fingers traced them as you made comments about the Red Room, the blood, the torture.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve gotten you some help for your PTSD or some shit. Got a friend that runs a support group”

You looked at Billy, and wondering what he didn’t understand about what you told him. In his mind, you were just a solider who did what they had to for survival. He didn’t understand that you were a killer, a cold blooded murderer who wasted away anyone who got in your way. You weren’t a noble soldier like him and his military friends, you were a gun for hire. That’s all you were. A monster. A killer.

“Billy the shit I’ve done… it ain’t out of fighting for my country. I’m not a solider like you, I’m a fucking monster. I was made for this life, I only escaped because of Nadia. She saved me that day and I couldn’t help her. The girl I watched grow up drove a knife into my arm to save me and I did nothing. I’m not a hero, not a solider. I’m a gun for hire and nothing else, that’s what he made me”

You looked down at your arms, every scar was for a life you took. Your first kill was during training, it was another Widow and you were both only seven years old. As you held her in a headlock and brutally snapped her neck, you watched her lifeless corpse fall to the ground. That day you had gone back to your room and grabbed the small blade all widows were permitted in case of emergencies. Most of the superiors and people Dreykov deemed important were all clad in suits that protected the from the blades, so there was no chance for escape. As you pressed it into your arm and pulled it through, you watched the rivulets of blood bubble up. Falling gently onto the floor. It was the first time you killed and the first you’d cut. To you it was a reminder of what he turned you into, to everyone else it was a sign of danger.

“No none of that shit. Don’t for a second act like the crap I did was any better. We’ve both killed, we were both fucking weapons don’t act like you’re the only one who gets to have a shitty life”

He grabbed your face harshly as his words were spit into your face. You didn’t budge as he wasn’t threatening to you. He may be a 6 foot ex Spec-Ops Marine but you were a Black Widow. The other girls had called you the Blood Widow as they heard your body count. They all made rumours about it, some sad you haven’t actually killed others spewed bullshit about 10,000 bodies in your list.

“How old were you when you first killed someone Billy?”

He blinked at you like a deer in headlights. His grip on your jaw tightened and you could barely get words out. Somehow you had still managed to ask that daring question. You knew his kill count, 134 people he had wasted away during his time in the military. Not to mention outside of that due to ANVIL.

“What kind of question is that?”

He looked at you with confusion in his face. A dark chuckle escaped your lips. Despite being out of the Red Room for nearly 3 years, nothing changes the person you became there.

“I was seven. We were training and I caught her in a headlock, I snapped her neck without hesitation. Her body fell to floor and I watched them drag her away. She was the first of many and every scar on my body I put there. I would take a blade to my skin to pay for my sins. To beg the world for forgiveness”

He pulled away from you. Standing up and walking to the window across the room. Billy’s hands fell to the ledge and gripped tightly as if he was going to fall. You watch intently as one of his hands was raised and he clenched it in a fist. Without hesitation he brought it slamming down onto the window ledge. The noise rang out and it caused one of the nearby nurses to look into your room. Shaking your hand you sent her away, knowing it’d be best if no one else was around.

You stood in the centre of the room as a girl was tied to the chair. In your right hand you had a gun strapped to you hand. Your trigger finger anxiously wanting to pull away from the weapon. You couldn’t, Dreykov had found out about your relationship and now here you were. Punishments were always cruel in the Red Room, starvation or torture were common. You had seen a few of the girls being waterboarded after failing to kill a target.

“You have failed this institution and now your lovers blood shall decorate the walls”

You refused to let tears spill. Even as her screams ricocheted off of the walls. Anguished screams that fell from the same lips you’d kiss after being patched up in the med bay. You had been together since you were 15 and she was 16, now here you were 5 years later. Preparing to put a bullet in between her eyes.

As the last knot secured her body to the chair your eyes wandered over her. Soft brown eyes, coily black hair and a dark complexion to boot. She was stunning and you fell in love with her at first look. This girl, this smart, loving girl was your first partner. One day you had hoped to escape the Red Room together. Buy a house and live the rest of your days in bliss, away from the gore of your younger years. One small mistake on your hand meant she was losing her life. Nausea sat painfully in your stomach but it wasn’t even the worst of it yet, you’d yet to pull the trigger and watch her life end.

“Pull the trigger Blood Widow and make the Red Room forgive your sins”

Your entire body shook and the anxiety set in. You knew what was going to happen but nothing would make it any better. The gun was raised along with your hand. Pointing it at your lover as her eyes begged you not to kill her. This was all your lives were, attacking and killing in the name of survival. Emotions couldn’t get in the way, even if dying in the moment would be better you couldn’t leave Nadia alone. You practically raised her. Your chest expanded as you brought air into your lungs, releasing it slowly. The click of the trigger and the crack of the bullet was all you heard. They say you don’t hear the bullet that killed you, you wonder if it was true for her. It took residence right between her eyes and you watched the blood leak from the hole. That week you didn’t eat, refusing to. Focusing instead on the ornate carving on your shoulder in her honour.

“Do you know how terrified I was when I saw that bullet enter you? I’ve seen a lot of men die but nothing stung like that moment. Since that day I saw you in the coffee shop. That stupid run down coffee shop near ANVIL. The way you moved effortlessly through the mess and the clutter, I knew you’d be the perfect assistant. I didn’t realise you held such a dark fucking truth”

He was still stood by the windowsill, looking down at the traffic of New York. You studied his body language, clenched hands, stiff back and you were almost sure his face was covered in a grimace.

“I didn’t know how you’d react to finding out the truth Billy. The things I’ve done have always terrified me, even under chemical subjugation. I was still conscious but I didn’t know what was me. I’ve been a puppet for 20 years. Then I managed to get out, I got a job at that coffee shop and than a year later I’m working for you. It’s been 3 years since I got out but I can’t shake it. He’s still sending Widows after me, I thought Natalia took the Red Room down but she failed. Dreykov is smart and he won’t stop until he kills me”

Billy turned around, looking at you. Your stomach churned, it hadn’t officially been said but you felt friendzoned. Of course you were, ‘Billy the Beaut’ didn’t settle down. He walked over to you, sitting down again. He placed a hand on your head, caressing your cheek gently.

“I’ll help you, I can get my men to look after you, you’re not going back to your apartment either. When you get discharged I’m taking you straight to mine. I don’t care, you just get some rest and I’ll be back later”

Billy stood up, flashing a toothy smile at you before walking out. Within the next five minutes a blonde and brunette duo showed up. You looked over at the two, smiling at them. Jessica and Trish reminded you of your friends back in the Red Room. It was why you had clicked with the two of them so well.

“Claire called said you were awake. Apparently you weren’t allowed visitors because the dick bag from your apartment was in here”

Jessica took a seat on one of the chairs as she spoke. You laughed at the prospect of the drunk calling your boss a ‘dick bag’. Trish pulled something out of her back. As you studied her to see what it was your eyes widened when you realised it was candy. It wasn’t something you were allowed in the Red Room and when you had first tried it you fell in love. Jessica had introduced you to Trish not long after you had met the brunette. You clicked with Trish pretty well and you were the voice of reason in the trio. Jessica and Trish were the only two people you knew that about your past. Jess was initially meant to be one of your kills, your were 17 and she was 21 in college. Dreykov had heard of her powers and sent you to take her out. You couldn’t do it and faked her death instead, thankfully Dreykov had believed it. Three years later when you got out you went to Jessica for help. She introduced you to Trish who helped you get a job at a coffee shop. You hadn’t been to a coffee shop before and it was an experience adjusting. Thankfully Trish was a great liar and came up with a lie about you being kept in captivity most of your life so you didn’t know of the outside world. It wasn’t a total lie as it did hold truth. One day Jessica and Trish visited you at your new work place. Your boss allowed you to take a break. A conversation was sparked and Trish asked you your favourite candy. When you told her you’d never had candy, well it shocked her to say the least. Since that moment every time Trish saw you she always had some sort of sweet on hand for you to try.

“He’s a nice guy Jessica. Just a bit… what’s the word?”

Your English was good but you had a tendency to forget words. It wasn’t your first language it wasn’t even your fourth. The girls knew this and weren’t bothered or upset when you forgot something.

“Dickish, bitchy, fuckwad, shitty, bloody stupid, ignorant?”

Jessica’s voice was laced with amusement as she spoke. Her favourite thing next to drinking was cursing and the girl could swear like a sailor. With or without the alcohol.

For a moment your world was just the three of you and you forgot about Billy’s anger. Forget about the attack. Just live with your closest friends for a while.

Tag list!

@thefictionalgemini

@woowwwee

@celestialams

#billy russo imagine #billy russo x reader #billy russo #billy russo fluff #jessica jones #trish walker #billy russo angst #blackwidow!reader #black widow #x reader #billy russo x yn

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non-binary-laurie-strode · 1 year

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Who cares about the Oscars? The most celebrated awards of the year are, of course, the Pink Bette awards!

The Pink Bettes are my own version of my film awards. I originally did this as a silly joke in 2020 for the films I had seen in 2019, so this is the fourth itineration of them. (2019's films, 2020's films, 2021's films, and now 2022's films.) Last year, I kinda just dropped the post and ran because I was feeling down about things, but I'm going to be pushing this one. (Sorry in advance.)

The rules are these: Any film that was new-to-me in 2022 is eligible for an award. Thus, Bound, a 1996 film, is eligible for these awards even though it is decades old; it's about when I saw them. I typically choose 5-6 "winners" to be designated My Favourite _____. This is done because choosing just one is silly when I can spread the love around; additionally, I call them "My Favourite" because it's about my emotional response to them, and honestly I would feel egotistical calling something the definitive BEST.

Anyway, here we go:

Some categories will have a little summary or write-up; others won't. There's only so many adjectives I can use to describe stuff, yknow?

For better or worse, these line readings gripped us. These all became meme-ified, in some way, between me and Mack.

"These are tortillas! Tortillas deliciosas!" - Hong Chau, The Menu. (Honorary mention to "You'll eat less than you desire and more than you deserve"—not a funny memed phrase, but the delivery. Chilling.)

"anD eNOUgh chamPAYNE... tFILL thNILE! *throws drink*" - Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile

The Trish Story - Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar

"Are you the LESBIAN?" - Idina Menzel, Kissing Jessica Stein

"He died?! *hand on heart*" - Tovah Feldshuh, Kissing Jessica Stein

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All of these disappointed in some measure. Shame, shame, shame!

Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The original TCM is one of the few horror movies to actually really get to me, with that ending being particularly nauseating. This new Netflix entry is a cheap and lazy attempt at continuing a franchise.

The Evil Dead, The Evil Dead 2 - The first time I encountered The Evil Dead as a property, it was in a college production of the musical The Evil Dead. The musical is, surprisingly, the best packaging of this property. These two, largely the same story but with a bigger budget the second time around, both completely fail to live up to the fun of the musical.

Men - I thought, after X and Pearl, I would like A24 horror more. Ha.

Bros - Enough has been said about this one, I think. Aside from a few jokes ("Like the bearded lady in The Greatest Showman, this is me."), I just didn't really find it funny.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man - John Carpenter, why the fuck is there a brownface scene in this one? You can do so much better than that, John.

The opposite of the previous category: These movies impressed me much more than they had any right to!

Marry Me - Featuring former musical theatre tumblrite Mason! For all of two seconds! Anyway this is so much fun and the title song is lowkey a jam.

The Lost City - Okay, aside from the fun of Sandra Bullock, seeing Channging Tatum's ass HUGE on a screen just... yeah. Yeah.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding - Okay, so, I used to think this one was like... a frat bro thing? I saw Greek and was like Greek life? But no, it's just Greek Greek.

The Batman - Here for the sole reason that it's a superhero movie that I came out mostly positive on.

Drive - Maybe I was just horny for Ryan Gosling. Who knows?

These four are 2022 releases that sort of came and went in theatres. I think they deserved better!

Three Thousand Years of Longing - Really, I just love Tilda so much. This is a modernistic version of the Thousand and One Nights with a clearly neurodivergent character at the front who finds romance. And it's so neat!

Umma - Sandra Oh in a horror movie. What more could you want?

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris - It's nicecore but it's still so lovely. When you think she won't get the dress is CRUSHING.

See How They Run - Saoirse Ronan in an Agatha Christie send-up comedy. Of course it's delightful! Though, at our screening, we had a gaggle of teens sitting across the auditorium, and they were being so loud and so obnoxious, and usually I am fine to let the youth be the youth, but girls... my blood boiled that day. I was ready to tear someone apart! Thankfully they left soon after.

Oh boy, here's where the graphic design is not my passion comes out. Anyhow. Supporting Performances. There are nine that I've picked out, with some honorable mentions:

Ke Huy Quan, EEAAO - He is so lovely and so wonderful and he deserves every single good thing that is happening to him right now.

Jamie Lee Curtis, EEAAO - My mother finally got an Oscar nom! I'm so happy for her. Deirdre is so ridiculous, and Jamie really commits to the insanity.

Stephanie Hsu, EEAAO - She is going THROUGH it in EEAAO. I almost put her in lead, but since she literally got a Supporting Oscar nom, I guess she can fit here.

Brandon Parea, Nope - Five stars, Angel, five stars.

Justin Long, Barbarian - When will he call me the f-slur? He's an ass but he made it look fun.

Billie Lourd, Ticket to Paradise - She has like one vibe across most of her performances, but she does it so extremely well.

Hong Chau, The Menu - Hong Chau, my beloved. I have only known her for two months, but she has completely gotten me in her grip.

Candice Bergen, Let Them All Talk - I don't actually have anything witty to say about her. She just Did Well in this one.

Hong Chau, The Whale - The moment where she realises he had the money the whole time and cracks? Ugh. Performance!

Honorable mentions: Tyne Daly, Hello My Name Is Doris; Tovah Feldshuh, Kissing Jessica Stein; Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine; Bill Skarsgard, Barbarian (RIP Sweet Little Meow Meow).

This is fairly self-explanatory.

Michelle Yeoh, EEAAO - "You can either lay there or you can come with me and change the multiverse." "I'll just lay here!" I used the opera picture because that's my favourite Lewk for her, but she's just so amazing all around. In all forms!

Sally Field, Hello My Name Is Doris - What really gets me with this one is when her therapist tries to clean up her house and she has a full break down. The way she speaks those lines just really hits.

Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading - God forbid women do anything. She's totally insane in this and is a complete wrecking ball. I love it!

Mia Goth, Pearl - That end credits face journey alone is worth a thousand awards. Just captivating!

Jennifer Tilly & Gina Gershon, Bound - Genders, genders all around. Of course the Wachowskis would make something so cool and sleek, and these two are the perfect ones to realise that vision.

Austin Butler, Elvis - Tom Hanks had a very "what the hell is this" performance, but really, the transformation for Austin Butler in this is super impressive. I am not immune to biopics!

Jenny Slate, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On - He Is Just A Little Boy and I love him.

Keke Palmer, Nope - Release the spin cut! (She has a spin in the trailer during her spiel at the beginning, and it's cut in the movie. That would have gotten her the Oscar nom, I'm sure.)

Kristen Wiig, Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar - The way this movie just radiates the energy of our friendship, I can't. Kristen gets the leg up on her co-star because she double dips on roles and I think I prefer her delivery.

Thandiwe Newton, God's Country - So, we saw God's Country on a whim because Mack liked the lead actress. And I totally get it. She's so strong and so unyielding in the face of those nutcases in this, and, though I know nothing about her and heard nothing about the film otherwise, she has stayed with me.

Cate Blanchett, Tár - That first long shot, where she's just talking as the camera is rolling? Electrifying. She had us hooked from moment one.

Ralph Fiennes, The Menu - Yes, Chef! We love you, Chef!

Honorable mentions: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye; Matt Damon, The Talented Mr Ripley; Emma Thompson, The Remainds of the Day.

Oh, good, we're back to reasonable category sizes. Anyway, though I am a horror queen, I feel as though the films I loved most in 2022 were not horror! But there were a few that rose to the top.

Scream 5 - It's Scream. It's good! "Trap? Yeah, it's a trap." Such a simple exchange, but it's my favourite moment in that one. I'm so excited for 6!

Pearl - Sorry, Paris. But I loved this. It's mostly a character study for a horror movie character until the final act, and what a final act it is! "I'm a star!" and the end credits face journey are just such great moments.

Nope - I liked it better than Us! But really, Jordan Peele is just consistently so good at writing horror.

City of the Dead - The way this is a dark horse pick for me. It just hits that spooky foggy creepy Halloween aesthetic that I love so much! And it's got great performances and a decent enough story. Plus, the Elvira inserts are fun!

Barbarian - This happened to a friend once, I think.

The Menu - Truly my favourite movie of 2022, coming in right at the end of the year. The mix between the comedy and the horror, the social jokes, Hong Chau... it's perfection to me.

Honorable mentions: Let The Right One In, Watcher, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

Dramatique! To some extent or another; I don't think Before Sunrise counts as a comedy or a horror, so it kind of falls here even though it's just a romance.

Dramarama - This one hits me so hard that it hurts. A group of high school graduates, all very into theatre, have one last murder mystery party as a group, before they split up. And it's just so... if you weren't in theatre in high school, you won't get it, but if you were, this hurts.

EEAAO - Do I need to explain.

Bound - As explained above!

The Talented Mr Ripley - The schemes! The intrigue! The homoeroticism! I love it!

Before Sunrise - A tender, sweet romance in Vienna. All of one night, with the lovely Ethan Hawke, just wandering a sleepy city at night.

Tár - Captivating, electric, a modern tragedy of hubris. For me, Best Picture needs to be between EEAAO and Tár. There is nothing else. Honorable mentions: Pride & Prejudice, In The Mood For Love, The Remains of the Day.

2022 was all about comedy for me. There were so many just perfect comedies that we saw this year that it's hard to pick a handful to show off. Barb & Star is Mack and me spiritually, which means it is Beloved here, but all of these I look on so fondly.

Hello, My Name Is Doris - A old Sally Field tries to find love with a much younger man. She's very awkward, almost too much to watch at points, but she's soooo good.

Kissing Jessica Stein - We love people questioning their identity and then deciding if it works out for them or not! It's a fun time.

Burn After Reading - The relentless absurdity just kills me. The hair, the drôle situtations, it's all just SO much of a ride.

Little Miss Sunshine - That little girl deserved to win that pageant.

Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar - Again, this is just our friendship. It's so stupid, but I treasure these two ladies.

Glass Onion - "Did you think a sweatshop was a place where they manufactured sweatpants?" "Yeah..."

Honorable mentions: The Lost City, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

But anyway. That's enough of the respectable awards. Let's have some fun.

We come to this place to celebrate men in film being hot, sexy, and/or slutty. Here are just some of the men that, ahem, piqued my interest. They are, of course, named after only the most beautiful man to have graced cinéma, Mr Keanu Reeves himself.

I'm doing these individually in case tumblr decides it doesn't like something :s (Also.... you've seen my graphic design skills.)

Dylan Minnette's shower scene in Scream 5. Not even a hint of ass! Cowards.

Nico Greetham in Dramarama just casually showing his chest around.

Girls...... seeing Channing Tatum's ass, huge, on a screen during The Lost City in a theatre. That was a MOMENT.

Félix Lefebvre in Summer of 85. We love blond French boys, huh.

Seeing THAT swinging on Kid Cudi in X...... You all know I'm an ass queen, but come onnnn.

When will Ryan Gosling Drive me around town? Huh? Don't I deserve that?

The cast of Fire Island as a whole. Or as a hole. Either way.

Speaking of beach boys, can we talk about the fuzz on Jude Law in The Talented Mr Ripley?

Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise in such a simple look can be so hot. He's so sweet and tender and just lovely.

And then we have the duality of Ethan Hawke:

My commentary here will be reposting some letterboxd reviews of The Black Phone:

Thomas Doherty in The Invitation can turn me into a vampire if he wants, idc, I'd throw it all away. That woman was WILD to just turn that down so quickly!

And finally, Mr Thousand Shades of Grey himself, Jamie Dornan in Barb & Star. He's actually done a nude photoshoot but uh. I'll keep that one to myself.

Anyhow. If you made it this far, thank you for reading through the Pink Bettes! I'll be here again next year!

#the pink bettes #this is an extremely long post so i hope the read more works on every device lol

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